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FEATS   ON    THE    FIORD 


BY 

HARRIET   MARTINEAU 

AUTHOR  OF  "the  CROFTON  BOYs";   "  THE  PEASANT  AND  THE  PRINCE* 
"the  SETTLERS  AT  HOME,"  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


BOSTON 

JOSEPH    KMGHT   COMPANY 

1S94 


Copyright,  1893,  by 
Joseph  Knight  Compan\ 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER 

I.  Erlixgsen's  "At  Home"     . 

II.  Oddo's  Walk        .... 

III.  Olaf  and  His  News    . 

I\'.  Roving  Here  and  Roving  There 

V.  The  Water  Sprite's  Doings 

VI.  Spring 

VII.  \'ogel  Islet         .... 

VIII.  A  Summer  Apartment 

IX.  Hund's  Report     .         .         .         . 

X.  Seeking  the   Uplands 

XI.  Dairymaids'  Talk 

XII.  Peder  Abroad      .... 

XIII.  Plot  and  Counterplot 

XIV.  Midnight 

XV.  Mountain  Fare    .... 

XVI.  Old  Tales  and  Better  Tidings 

XVII.  The  Watch  on  the  Hill    . 

XVIII.  To  Church 


PAGE 

3 
26 

38 

53 
62 
76 

91 

97 
108 
120 

140 

155 
168 

178 

188 

195 
201 


i^iss-io 


FEATS  ON  THE  FIORD. 


CHAPTER   I. 

ERLINGSEN'S     "  AT    HOME." 


Every  one  who  has  looked  at  the  map  of  Norway 
must  have  been  struck  with  the  singular  character  of 
its  coast.  On  the  map  it  looks  so  jagged,  such  a 
strange  mixture  of  land  and  sea,  that  it  appears  as  if 
there     must    be    a 

perpetual   struggle       .,  . -•  / 

between    the   two,  ^  '.  -■■_—-     ^^     -^         \ 

—  the  sea  striving 
to  inundate  the 
land,  and  the  land 
pushing  itself  out 
into  the  sea,  till 
it  ends  in  their 
dividing  the  region 
between  them.  On 
the  spot,  however, 
this  coast  is  very 
sublime.  The  long 
straggling  promon- 
tories are  moun- 
tainous, towering 
ridges  of  rock, 
springing  up  in 
precipices  from  the 

water ;  while  the  bays  between  them,  instead  of  being 
rounded  with  shelving  sandy  shores,  on  which  the  sea 
tumbles    its   waves,   as   in    bays   of  our    coast,  are,  in 


V 


>- 


A- 


4  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 

fact,  long  narrow  valleys,  filled  with  sea,  instead  of  being 
laid  out  in  fields  and  meadows.  The  high  rocky  banks 
shelter  these  deep  bays  (called  fiords)  from  almost 
every  wind,  so  that  their  waters  are  usually  as  still  as 
those  of  a  lake.  For  days  and  weeks  together,  they 
reflect  each  separate  tree-top  of  the  pine  forests  which 
clothe  the  mountain-sides,  the  mirror  being  broken 
only  by  the  leap  of  some  sportive  fish,  or  the  oars  of 
the  boatman  as  he  goes  to  inspect  the  sea-fowl  from 
islet  to  islet  of  the  fiord,  or  carries  out  his  nets  or 
his  rod  to  catch  the  sea-trout,  or  char,  or  cod,  or 
herrings,  which  abound,  in  their  seasons,  on  the  coast 
of  Norway. 

It  is  difficult  to  say  whether  these  fiords  are  the 
most  beautiful  in  summer  or  in  winter.  In  summer, 
they  glitter  wath  golden  sunshine ;  and  purple  and 
green  shadows  from  the  mountain  and  forest  lie  on 
them ;  and  these  may  be  more  lovely  than  the  faint 
light  of  the  winter  noons  of  those  latitudes,  and  the 
snowy  pictures  of  frozen  peaks  which  then  show  them- 
selves on  the  surface :  but  before  the  day  is  half  over, 
out  come  the  stars,  —  the  glorious  stars  which  shine 
like  nothing  that  we  have  ever  seen.  There,  the 
planets  cast  a  faint  shadow,  as  the  young  moon  does 
with  us ;  and  these  planets,  and  the  constellations  of 
the  sky,  as  they  silently  glide  over  from  peak  to  peak 
of  these  rocky  passes,  are  imaged  on  the  waters  so 
clearly  that  the  fisherman,  as  he  unmoors  his  boat  for 
his  evening  task,  feels  as  if  he  were  about  to  shoot 
forth  his  vessel  into  another  heaven,  and  to  cleave  his 
way  among  the  stars. 

Still  as  everything  is  to  the  eye,  sometimes  for  a 
hundred  miles  together  along  these  deep  sea-valleys, 
there  is  rarely  silence.  The  ear  is  kept  awake  by  a 
thousand  voices.  In  the  summer,  there  are  cataracts 
leaping  from  ledge  to  ledge  of  the  rocks  ;  and  there 
is  the  bleating  of  the  kids  that  browse  there,  and  the 
flap  of  the  great  eagle's  wings,  as    it    dashes    abroad 


FEATS    ON    THE    FI(3RD. 


5 


from  its  eyry,  and  the  cries  of  whole  clouds  of  sea- 
birds  which  inhabit  the  islets ;  and  all  these  sounds 
are  mingled  and  multiplied  by  the  strong  echoes,  till 
they  become  a  din  as  loud  as  that  of  a  city.  Even  at 
night,  when  the  flocks  are  in  the  fold,  and  the  birds  at 
roost,  and  the  echoes  themselves  seem  to  be  asleep, 
there  is  occasionally  a  sweet  music  heard,  too  soft  for 
even  the  listening  ear  to  catch  by  day.  Every  breath 
of  summer  wind  that  steals  through  the  pine  forests 
wakes  this  music  as  it  goes'.  The  stiff  spiny  leaves  of 
the  fir  and  pine  vibrate  with  the  breeze,  like  the  strings 
of  a  musical  instrument,  so  that  every  breath  of  the 
night-wind,  in  a  Norwegian  forest,  wakens  a  myriad  of 
tiny  harps ;  and  this  gentle  and  mournful  music  may 
be  heard  in  gushes  the  whole  night  through.  This 
music,  of  course,  ceases  when  each  tree  becomes  laden 
with  snow;  but  yet  there  is  sound,  in  the  midst  of  the 
longest  winter  night.  There  is  the  rumble  of  some 
avalanche,  as,  after  a  drifting  storm,  a  mass  of  snow, 
too  heavy  to  keep  its  place, 
slides  and  tumbles  from  the 
mountain  peak.  There  is 
also,  now  and  then,  a  loud 
crack  of  the  ice  in  the  nearest 
glacier;  and,  as  many  de- 
clare, there  is  a  crackling  to 
be  heard  by  those  who  listen 
when  the  northern  lights  are 
shooting  and  blazing  across 
the  sky.  Nor  is  this  all. 
Wherever  there  is  a  nook 
between  the  rocks  on  the 
shore,  where  a  man  may 
build  a  house,  and  clear  a 
there  is  a  platform  beside  the  cataract  where  the 
sawyer  may  plant  his  mill,  and  make  a  path  from 
it  to  join  some  great  road,  —  there  is  a  human  habi- 
tation, and  the  sounds  that  belong  to  it.     Thence,   in 


field   or  two ;     wherever 


FEATS    0\   THE    FIORD. 


winter  nights,  come  music  and  laughter,  and  the  tread 
of  dancers,  and  the  hum  of  many  voices.  The  Nor- 
wegians are  a  social  and  hospitable  people  ;  and  they 
hold  their  gay  meetings,  in  defiance  of  their  arctic 
climate,  through  every  season  of  the  year. 

On  a  January  night,  a  hundred  years  ago,  there  was 
great  merriment  in  the  house  of  a  farmer  who  had  fixed 
his  abode  within  the  Arctic  Circle,  in  Nordland,  not  far 
from  the  foot  of  Sulitelma,  the  highest  mountain  in  Nor- 
way. This  dwelling,  with  its  few  fields  about  it,  w^as  in 
_      _  a  recess  between  the 

rocks,  on  the  shore 
of  the  fiord,  about 
five  miles  from  Salt- 
dalen,  and  two  miles 
from  the  junction 
of  the  Salten's  Elv 
(river)  with  the 
fiord.  It  was  but 
little  that  Erlingsen's 
fields  would  produce, 
though  they  w^ere 
sheltered  from  the  coldest  winds,  and  the  summer  sun- 
shine was  reflected  from  the  rocks,  so  as  to  make  this 
little  farm  much  more  productive  than  any  near,  which 
were  in  a  more  exposed  situation.  A  patch  of  rye  was 
grown,  and  some  beans  and  oats ;  and  there  was  a  strip 
of  pasture,  and  a  garden  in  which  might  be  seen 
turnips,  radishes,  potatoes,  lettuce,  and  herbs,  and  even 
some  fruits, — a  few  raspberries,  and  a  great  many 
cherries.  There  were  three  or  four  horses  on  the  farm, 
five  cows,  and  a  small  flock  of  goats.  In  summer,  the 
cattle  and  flock  were  driven  up  the  mountain,  to  feed 
on  the  pastures  there;  and  during  the  seven  months 
of  winter,  they  were  housed  and  fed  on  the  hay  grown 
at  home,  and  that  which  was  brought  from  the  moun- 
tain, and  on  a  food  which  appears  strange  enough 
to    us,   but    of  which   cows   in    Norway   are   extremely 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  7 

fond, — fish-heads  boiled  into  a  thick  soup  with  horse- 
dung.  At  one  extremity  of  the  little  beach  of  white 
sand  which  extended  before  the  farmer's  door  was  his 
boathouse ;  and  on  his  boat  he  and  his  family  de- 
pended, no  less  than  his  cows,  for  a  principal  part  of 
their  winter  subsistence.  Except  a  kid  or  a  calf  now 
and  then,  no  meat  was  killed  on  the  farm.  Cod  in 
winter,  herrings  in  spring,  trout  and  salmon  in  summer, 
and  salted  fish  in  winter,  always  abounded.  Reindeer 
meat  was  regularly  purchased  from  the  Lapps  who 
travelled  round  among  the  settlements  for  orders,  or 
drove  their  fattened  herds  from  farm  to  farm.  Besides 
this,  there  was  the  resource  of  game,  Erlingsen  and  his 
housemen  brought  home  from  their  sporting  rambles, 
sometimes  a  young  bear,  sometimes  wild  ducks,  or  the 
noble  cock-of-the-woods,  as  big  as  a  turkey,  or  a  string 
of  snipes,  or  golden  plovers,  or  ptarmigan.  The  eggs 
of  sea-birds  might  be  found  in  every  crevice  of  the 
islets  in  the  fiord,  in  the  right  season ;  and  they  are 
excellent  food.  Once  a  year,  too,  Erlingsen  wrapped 
himself  in  furs,  and  drove  himself  in  his  sledge,  fol- 
lowed by  one  of  his  housemen  on  another  and  a  larger, 
to  the  great  winter  fair  at  Tronyem,  where  the  Lapps 
repaired  to  sell  their  frozen  reindeer  meat,  their  skins, 
a  few  articles  of  manufacture,  and  where  travelling 
Russian  merchants  came  with  the  productions  of  other 
climates,  and  found  eager  customers  in  the  inhabitants 
who  thronged  to  this  fair  to  make  their  purchases. 
Here,  in  exchange  for  the  salt-fish,  feathers,  and  eider- 
down which  had  been  prepared  by  the  industry  of  his 
family,  Erlingsen  obtained  flax  and  wool  wherewith  to 
make  clothing  for  the  household,  and  those  luxuries 
which  no  Norwegian  thinks  of  going  without,  —  corn- 
brandy,  coffee,  tobacco,  sugar,  and  spices.  Large 
mould  candles  were  also  sold  so  cheap  by  the  Russians 
that  it  was  worth  while  to  bring  them  home  for  the  use 
of  the  whole  family, — even  to  burn  in  the  stables  and 
stalls,  as  the  supply  of  bears'   fat    was   precarious,  and 


8  ii:ais  ox  the  kiord. 

the  pine-tree  was  too  precious,  so  far  north,  to  be  spht 
up  into  torches,  while  it  even  fell  so  short  occasionally 
as  to  compel  the  family  to  burn  peat,  which  they  did 
not  like  nearly  so  well  as  pine-logs.  It  was  Madame 
Erlingsen's  business  to  calculate  how  much  of  all  these 
foreign  articles  would  be  required  for  the  use  of  her 
household  for  a  whole  year;  and,  trusting  to  her  calcu- 
lations, which  were  never  found  to  be  wrong,  her  hus- 
band came  home  from  the  winter  fair  heavily  enough 
laden  with  good  things. 

Nor  was  it  only  what  was  required  for  his  own  every- 
day household  that  he  brought.  The  quantity  of  pro- 
visions,   especially    corn-brandy,    tobacco,    coffee,    and 


sugar,  consumed  in  hospitality  in  Norway,  is  almost 
incredible ;  and  retired  as  the  Erlingsens  might  appear 
to  dwell,  they  were  as  hospitable,  according  to  their 
opportunities,  as  any  inhabitant  of  Bergen  or  Christiana. 
They  gave  feasts  at  Christmas,  and  on  every  occasion 
that  they  could  devise.  The  occasion,  on  the  particu- 
lar January  day  mentioned  above,  was  the  betrothment 
of  one  of  the  house-maidens  to  a  young  farm-servant  of 
the  establishment.  I  do  not  mean  that  this  festival  was 
anything  like  a  marriage.  It  was  merely  an  engage- 
ment to  be  married  ;    but  this    engagement  is    a  much 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  9 

more  formal  and  public  affair  in  Norway  (and  indeed 
wherever  the  people  belong  to  the  Lutheran  Church) 
than  with  us.  According  to  the  rites  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  there  are  two  ceremonies, —  one  when  a  couple 
become  engaged,  and  another  when  they  are  married. 
In  Norway,  this  betrothment  gives  the  couple  a  certain 
dignity  beyond  that  of  the  unengaged,  and  more  liberty 
of  companionship,  together  with  certain  rights  in  law. 
This  makes  up  to  them  for  being  obliged  to  wait  so  long 
as  they  often  must  before  they  can  marry.  In  a 
country,  scattered  over  with  farmers,  like  Norway, 
where  there  are  few  money  transactions,  because  people 
provide  for  their  own  wants  on  their  own  little  estates, 
servants  do  not  shift  their  places,  and  go  from  master 
to  master,  as  with  us.  A  young  man  and  woman  have 
to  wait  long,  probably  till  some  houseman  dies  or 
removes,  before  they  can  settle ;  and  then  they  are 
settled  for  life, — provided  for  till  death,  if  they  choose 
to  be  commonly  industrious  and  honest.  The  story  of 
this  betrothment  at  Erlingsen's  will  explain  what  I  have 
just  said. 

As  Madame  Erlingsen  had  two  daughters  growing 
up,  and  they  were  no  less  active  than  the  girls  of  a 
Norwegian  household  usually  are,  she  had  occasion  for 
only  two  maidens  to  assist  in  the  business  of  the  dwell- 
ing and  the  dairy. 

Of  these  two,  the  younger,  Erica,  was  the  maiden 
betrothed  to-day.  No  one  perhaps  rejoiced  so  much 
at  the  event  as  her  mistress,  both  for  Erica's  sake,  and 
on  account  of  her  two  young  daughters.  Erica  was 
not  the  best  companion  for  them  ;  and  the  servants  of 
a  Norwegian  farmer  are  necessarily  the  companions 
of  the  daughters  of  the  house.  There  was  nothing 
wrong  in  Erica's  conduct  or  temper  towards  the 
family.      She  had,  when  confirmed,*  borne  so  high  a 

*  The  rite  of  confirmation  is  thought  much  more  of  in  Norway  than 
with  us.  The  preparation  for  it  is  longer  and  more  strict;  and  the  des- 
tiny of  young  people  for  life  depends  much  on  how  they  pass  through 


10  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

character,  that  many  places  were  offered  her,  and 
Madame  Erhnt^sen  had  thoui^dit  herself  very  fortunate 
in  obtaining  her  serxices.  l^ut,  since  then.  Erica  had 
sustained  a  shock  which  hurt  her  spirits,  and  increased 
a  weakness  which  she  owed  to  her  mother.  Her 
mother,  a  widow,  had  brought  up  her  child  in  all  the 
superstitions  of  the  country,  some  of  which  remain  in 
full  strength  even  to  this  day,  and  were  then  very 
powerful ;  and  the  poor  woman's  death  at  last  con- 
firmed the  lessons  of  her  life.  She  had  stayed  too 
long  one  autumn  day  at  the  Erlingsen's ;  and,  being 
benighted  on  her  return,  and  suddenly  seized  and 
bewildered  by  the  cold,  had  wandered  from  the  road, 
and  was  found  frozen  to  death  in  a  recess  of  the  forest 
which  it  was  surprising  that  she  should  have  reached. 
Erica  never  believed  that  she  did  reach  this  spot  of 
her  own  accord.  Having  had  some  fears  before  of 
the  Wood  Demon  having  been  offended  by  one  of  the 
family.  Erica  regarded  this  accident  as  a  token  of  his 
vengeance.  She  said  this  when  she  first  heard  of  her 
mother's  death ;  and  no  reasonings  from  the  zealous 
pastor  of  the  district,  no  soothing  from  her  mistress, 
could  shake  her  persuasion.  She  listened  with  sub- 
mission, wiping  away  her  quiet  tears  as  they  dis- 
coursed ;  but  no  one  could  ever  get  her  to  say  that 
she  doubted  whether  there  was  a  Wood  Demon,  or  that 
she  was  not  afraid  of  what  he  would  do  if  offended. 

Erlingsen  and  his  wife  always  treated  her  supersti- 
tion as  a  weakness  ;  and  when  she  was  not  present,  they 
ridiculed  it.  Yet  they  saw  that  it  had  its  effect  on 
their    daughters.       Erica    most    strictly    obeyed    their 

it.  A  person  who  has  not  been  confrmed  is  looked  upon  as  one  without  a 
character  and  without  knowledge  ;  while  those  who  pass  well  stand  high 
in  credit;  and  if  they  have  to  earn  their  living,  are  sure  of  good  situa- 
tions. In  the  newspapers  in  Norway  you  may  see  anmng  the  advertise- 
ments, "  A  coiifinitcd  shop-boy  wants  a  place."  "  Wanted,  a  coufirmed 
girl,  who  can  cook";  which  means  that  their  having  been  confirmed 
proves  that  they  are  considered  respectable,  and  not  deficient  in  capacity 
orknowledge. 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD.  II 

wish  that  she  should  not  talk  about  the  spirits  of  the 
region  with  Orga  and  Frolich ;  but  the  girls  found 
plenty  of  people  to  tell  them  what  they  could  not 
learn  from  Erica.  Besides  what  everybody  knows 
who  lives  in  the  rural  districts  of  Norway,  —  about 
Nipen,  the  spirit  that  is  always  so  busy  after  every- 
body's affairs, — about  the  Watersprite,  an  acquaint- 
ance of  every  one  who  lives  beside  a  river  or  lake,  — 
and  about  the  Mountain  Demon,  familiar  to  all  who 
lived  so  near  Sulitelma ;  besides  these  common  spirits, 
the  girls  used  to  hear  of  a  multitude  of  others  from 
old  Peder,  the  blind  houseman,  and  from  all  the  farm- 
people,  down  to  Oddo,  the  herd-boy.  Their  parents 
hoped  that  this  taste  of  theirs  might  die  away  if  once 
Erica,  with  her  sad,  serious  face  and  subdued  voice, 
were  removed  to  a  house  of  her  own,  where  they 
would  see  her  supported  by  her  husband's  unfearing 
mind,  and  occupied  with  domestic  business  more 
entirely  than  in  her  mistress's  house.  So  Madame 
Erlingsen  was  well  pleased  that  Erica  was  betrothed ; 
and  she  could  only  have  been  better  satisfied  if  she 
had  been  married  at  once. 

For  this  marrying,  however,  the  young  people  must 
vv^ait.  There  was  no  house,  or  houseman's  place, 
vacant  for  them  at  present.  There  was  a  prospect, 
however.  The  old  houseman  Peder,  who  had  served 
Erlingsen's  father  and  Erlingsen  himself  for  fifty-eight 
years,  could  now  no  longer  do  the  weekly  work  on  the 
farm  which  was  his  rent  for  his  house,  field,  and  cow. 
He  was  blind  and  old.  His  aged  wife,  Ulla,  could  not 
leave  the  house ;  and  it  was  the  most  she  could  do 
to  keep  the  dwelling  in  order,  with  occasional  help 
from  one  and  another.  Housemen  who  make  this 
sort  of  contract  with  farmers  in  Norway  are  never 
turned  out.  They  have  their  dwelling  and  field  for 
their  own  life  and  that  of  their  wives.  What  they  do, 
when  disabled,  is  to  take  in  a  deserving  young  man  to 
do   their   work    for  the    farmer,    on   the    understanding 


12 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 


that  he  succeeds  to  the  houseman's  place  on  the  death 
of  the  old  people.  Pedcr  and  Ulla  had  made  this 
agreement  with  Erica's  lover,  Rolf;  and  it  was  under- 
stood that  his  marriage  with  Erica  should  take  place 
whenever  the  old  people  should  die. 

It  was  impossible  for  Erica  herself  to  fear  that 
Nipen  was  offended,  at  the  outset  of  this  festival  day. 
If  he  had  chosen  to  send  a  wind,  the  guests  could  not 
have  come ;  for  no  human  frame  can  endure  travelling 
in  a  wind  in  Nordland  on  a  January  day.  Happily, 
the  air  was  so  calm  that  a  flake  of  snow,  or  a  lock  of 
eider-down,  would  have  fallen  straight  to  the  ground. 
At  two  o'clock,  when  the  short  dajlight  was  gone,  the 
stars  were  shining  so  brightly,  that  the  company  who 
came  by  the  fiord  would  be  sure  to  have  an  easy 
voyage.  Almost  all  came  by  the  fiord,  for  the  only 
road  from  Erlingsen's  house  led  to  so  few  habitations, 
and  was  so  narrow,  steep,  and  rocky,  that  an  arrival  by 
that  way  was  a  rare  event.  The  path  was  now,  how- 
ever, so  smooth  with  frozen  snow,  that  more  than  one 

sledge  attempted 
and  performed  the 
descent.  Erling- 
sen  and  some  of 
his  servants  went 
out  to  the  porch, 
on  hearing  music 
from  the  water,  and 
stood  with  lighted 
pine-torches  to  re- 
ceive their  guests, 
when,  approaching 
from  behind,  they 
heard  the  sound  of 
the  sleigh-bells,  and  found  that  company  was  arriving 
both  by  sea  and  land. 

It   was   a  pretty  sight,  —  such   an   arrival.     In  front, 
there  was  the  head  of  a  boat  dri\ing  up  upon  the  white 


->*K_ 


FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD.  1 3 

beach,  and  figure  after  figure  leaping  out,  and  hastening 
to  be  welcomed  in  the  porch ;  while,  in  the  midst  of 
the  greeting,  the  quick  and  regular  beat  of  a  horse's 
feet  was  heard  on  the  frozen  ground,  and  the  active 
little  animal  rushed  into  the  light,  shaking  his  mane 
and  jingling  his  bells,  till  suddenly  checked  by  the 
driver,  who  stood  upright  at  the  back  of  the  sledge, 
while  the  ladies  reclined,  so  wrapped  in  furs  that 
nothing  could  be  seen  of  them  till  they  had  entered  the 
house,  and  issued  forth  from  the  room  where  they  threw 
off  their  pelisses  and  cloaks.  Glad  had  the  visitors 
been,  whether  they  came  by  land  or  water,  to  arrive  in 
sight  of  the  lighted  dwelling,  whose  windows  looked 
like  rows  of  yellow  stars,  contrasting  with  the  blue 
ones  overhead ;  and  more  glad  still  were  they  to  be 
ushered  into  the  great  room,  where  all  was  so  light,  so 
warm,  so  cheerful !  Warm  it  was,  to  the  farthest 
corner ;  and  too  warm  near  the  roaring  and  crackling 
fires ;  for  the  fires  were  of  pine  wood.  Rows  upon 
rows  of  candles  were  fastened  against  the  walls,  above 
the  heads  of  the  company ;  the  floor  was  strewn  with 
juniper  twigs;  and  the  spinning-wheels,  the  carding 
boards,  every  token  of  household  labor  was  removed, 
except  a  loom,  which  remained  in  one  corner.  In 
another  corner  was  a  welcome  sight  —  a  platform  of 
rough  boards,  two  feet  from  the  floor,  and  on  it  two 
stools.  This  was  a  token  that  there  was  to  be  dancing ; 
and  indeed  Oddo,  the  herd-boy,  old  Peder's  grandson, 
was  seen  to  have  his  clarionet  in  his  belt,  as  he  ran  in 
and  out  on  the  arrival  of  fresh  parties. 

Before  four  o'clock,  the  whole  company,  consisting 
of  about  forty,  had  arrived.  They  walked  about  the 
large  room,  sipping  their  strong  coffee,  and  helping 
one  another  to  the  good  things  on  the  trays  which  were 
carried  round, — the  slices  of  bread  and  butter,  with 
anchovies,  or  shreds  of  reindeer  ham  or  tongue,  or  thin 
slices  of  salt  cheese.  When  these  trays  disappeared, 
and  the  young  women  who  had   served   them   returned 


14 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 


into  the  room,  Oddo  was  seen  to  reach  the  platform 
with  a  hop,  skip,  and  jump,  followed  by  a  dull-looking 
young  man  with  a  violin.  The  oldest  men  lighted  their 
pipes,  and  sat  down  to  talk,  two  or  three  together. 
Others  withdrew  to  a  smaller  room,  where  card-tables 

were  set  out ;  while 
the  younger  men  se- 
lected their  partners, 
and  handed  them  forth 
for  the  gallopade. 
The  dance  was  led  by 
the  blushing  Erica, 
whose  master  was  her 
partner.  It  had  never 
occurred  to  her  that 
she  was  not  to  take  her 
usual  place,  and  she 
was  greatly  embarrassed,  not  the  less  so  that  she  knew 
that  her  mistress  was  immediately  behind,  with  Rolf  for 
her  partner.  Erica  might,  however,  have  led  the  dance 
in  any  country  in  Europe.  All  the  women  in  Norway 
dance  well,  being  practised  in  it  from  their  infancy,  as  an 
exercise  for  which  the  leisure  of  their  long  winter,  and 
the  roominess  of  their  houses,  afford  scope.  Every 
woman  present  danced  well,  but  none  better  than 
Erica. 

"  Very  well !  very  pretty  !  very  good  !  "  observed 
the  pastor,  M.  Kollsen,  as  he  sat,  with  his  pipe  m 
his  mouth,  looking  on.  M.  Kollsen  was  a  very  young 
man ;  but  the  men  in  Norway  smoke  as  invariably  as 
the  women  dance.  "  Very  pretty,  indeed  !  They  only 
want  double  the  number  to  make  it  as  pretty  a  dance 
as  any  in  Tronycm." 

"  What  would  you  have,  sir?  "  asked  old  Peder,  who 
sat  smoking  at  his  elbow.  "  Are  there  not  eleven 
couple?  Oddo  told  me  there  were  eleven  couple; 
and  I  think  I  counted  so  many  pairs  of  feet  as  they 
passed." 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 5 

"  Let  me  see :  —  yes,  you  are  right,  Peder ;  there  are 
eleven  couples." 

"  And  what  would  you  have  more,  sir  ?  In  this  young 
man's  father's  time  —  " 

"  Rolf's  father's?" 

"No,  sir,  —  Erlingsen's.  Ah  !  I  forgot  that  Erlingsen 
may  not  seem  to  you,  or  any  stranger,  to  be  young,  but 
Ulla  and  I  have  been  used  to  call  him  so,  and  I  fear  I 
always  shall,  as  I  shall  never  see  the  furrows  in  his  face. 
It  will  be  always  smooth  and  young  to  me.  My  Ulla 
says  there  is  nothing  to  be  sorry  for  in  that,  and  she 
does  not  object  to  my  thinking  so  of  her  face.  But,  as 
I  was  saying,  in  the  elder  Erlingsen's  time  we  thought 
we  did  well  when  we  set  up  nine  couples  at  Yule ;  and 
since  then,  the  Holbergs  and  Thores  have  each  made 
out  a  new  farm  within  ten  miles,  and  we  are  accustomed 
to  be  rather  proud  of  our  eleven  couples.  Indeed,  I 
once  knew  it  twelve,  when  they  got  me  to  stand  up  with 
little  Henrica,  —  the  pretty  little  girl  whose  grave  lies 
behind,  just  under  the  rock.  But  I  suppose  there  is  no 
question  but  there  are  finer  doings  at  Tronyem." 

"  Of  course  —  of  course,"  said  the  young  clergyman. 
"  But  there  are  many  youths  in  Tronyem  that  would 
be  glad  of  so  pretty  a  partner  as  M.  Erlingsen  has,  if 
she  would  not  look  so  frightened." 

"  Pretty  she  is,"  said  Peder.  "  As  I  remember  her 
complexion,  it  looks  as  if  it  was  made  by  the  reflection 
of  our  snows  in  its  own  clearness.  And  when  you  do 
get  a  full  look  into  her  eyes,  how  like  the  summer  sky 
they  are  —  as  deep  as  the  heavens  in  a  midsummer 
noon  !     Did  you  say  she  looks  frightened,  sir?  " 

"Yes.  When  does  she  not?  Some  ghost  from  the 
grave  has  scared  her,  I  suppose ;  or  some  spirit  that 
has  no  grave  to  lie  still  in,  perhaps.  It  is  a  great  fault 
in  her  that  she  has  so  little  faith.  I  never  met  with  such 
a  case.  I  hardly  know  how  to  conduct  it.  I  must 
begin  with  the  people  about  her,  abolish  their  super- 
stitions, and    then  there    may  be    a    chance    for    her. 


1 6  FEATS    OX   Tin:    FIORD. 

Meanwhile  I  have  but  a  poor  account  to  give  to  the 
bishop*  of  the  rehgion  of  the  district." 

"Did  you  say,  sir,  that  Erica  wants  faith?  It  seems 
to  me  that  I  never  knew  any  one  who  had  so  much." 

"  You  think  so  because  there  is  no  idea  in  this  region 
of  what  faith  is.  A  prodigious  work  indeed  my  bishop 
has  given  me  to  do.  He  himself  cannot  be  aware  what 
it  is,  till  I  send  him  my  report.  One  might  suppose 
that  Christianity  had  never  been  heard  of  here,  by  the 
absurd  credulity  one  meets  with  in  the  best  houses, — 
the  multitude  of  good  and  evil  spirits  one  hears  of  at 
every  turn.  I  will  blow  them  all  to  the  winds  presently. 
I  will  root  out  every  superstition  in  a  circle  of  twenty 
miles." 

"  You  will,  sir?  " 

"  I  will.     Such  is  my  duty  as  a  Christian  pastor." 

"Do  you  suppose  you  can,  sir?" 

"Certainly.  No  doubt  of  that.  What  sort  of  a  pas- 
tor must  he  be  who  cannot  vindicate  his  own  religion?  " 

"  These  beliefs,  sir,  were  among  us  long  before  you 
were  born ;  and  I  fancy  they  will  last  till  some  time 
after  you  are  dead.  And,  what  is  more,  I  should  not 
wonder  if  your  bishop  was  to  tell  you  the  same  thing 
w^hen  you  send  him  your  report  of  us." 

"  I  thought  you  had  had  more  faith,  Peder.  I  thought 
you  had  been  a  better  Christian." 

"  However  that  may  be,"  said  Peder,  "  I  have  some 
knowledge  of  the  people  about  us,  having  lived  nearly 
fourscore  years  in  the  parish ;  and  perhaps,  sir,  as  you 
are  young,  and  from  a  distance,  you  would  allow  me 
to  say  a  word.      May  I?  " 

"  Oh,  certainly." 

But  while  M.  Kollsen  gave  this  permission,  he  took 
his  pipe  from  his  mouth,  and  beat  time  with  it  upon 
his  knee,  and  with  his  foot  upon  the  ground,  to  carry 
off  his  impatience  at  being  instructed. 

*  A  hundred  years  ago  Nordland  was  included  in  the  diocese  of  Tronyeni. 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 


17 


"  My  advice  would  be,  sir,  with  all  respect  to  you," 
said  Peder,  "  that  you  should  lead  the  people  into 
everything  that  you  think  true  and  good,  and  pass  over 
quietly  whatever  old  customs  and  notions  you  do  not 
understand  or  like.  I  have  so  much  belief  in  the  reli- 
gion you  are  to  teach  as  to  feel  sure  that  whatever  will 
not  agree  with  it  will  die  out  of  its  way  if  let  alone. 
But  if  religion  is  brought  in  to  hurt  the  people's  feelings 
and  notions,  that  religion  will  be  the  thing  to  suffer." 

"  I  must  judge  for  myself  about  such  matters,  of 
course,"  said  M.  KoUsen.  He  was  meditating  a  change 
of  place,  to  escape  further  lecturing  about  his  duty, 
when  Peder  saved  him  the  trouble  of  leaving  his  com- 
fortable seat  by  rising  and  moving  away  towards  the 
fire.  Peder's  pipe  was  smoked 
out,  and  he  was  going  for  more 
tobacco  to  the  place  where 
tobacco  was  always  to  be  found 
—  in  a  little  recess  above  the 
fireplace.  He  felt  his  way  care- 
fully, that  he  might  not  interfere 
with  the  dancers,  or  be  jostled 
by  them ;  but  he  had  not  far 
to  go.  One  friend  begged  to 
be  sent  for  anything  he  wanted  ; 
another,    with    a    quicker    eye, 

brought  him  tobacco ;  and  a  third  led  him  to  his  seat 
again.  All  looked  with  wonder  at  M.  Kollsen,  sur- 
prised that  he,  Peder's  corjipanion  at  that  moment, 
young  and  blessed  with  eyesight,  could  let  the  blind  old 
man  leave  his  seat  for  such  a  reason.  M.  Kollsen 
whiffed  away,  however,  quite  unconscious  of  what 
everybody  was  thinking. 

"This  waltz,"  said  Peder,  when  the  dancers  had 
begun  again,  "does  not  seem  to  go  easily.  There  is 
something  amiss.  I  think  it  is  in  the  music  that  the 
fault  lies.     My  boy's  clarionet  goes  well  enough ;    no 


1 8  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 

fear   of   Oddo's  being  out.      Pray,  sir,  who  plays    the 
vioHn  at  this  moment?  " 

"  A  fellow  who  looks  as  if  he  did  not  like  his  busi- 
ness. He  is  frowning  with  his  red  brows  as  if  he  would 
frown  out  the  lights." 

"  His  red  brows  !  Oh,  then,  it  is  Hund.  I  was  think- 
ing it  would  be  hard  upon  him,  poor  fellow,  if  he  had 
to  play  to-night;  yet,  not  so  hard  as  if  he  had  to  dance. 
It  is  weary  work  dancing  with  the  heels  when  the  heart 
is  too  heavy  to  move.  You  may  have  heard,  sir,  for 
everyone  knows  it,  that  Hund  wanted  to  have  young 
Rolf's  place,  and,  some  say,  Erica  herself.  Is  she 
dancing,  sir,  if  I  may  ask?  " 

"Yes,  with  Rolf.  What  sort  of  a  man  is  Rolf  — 
with  regard  to  these  superstitions,  I  mean?  Is  he  as 
foolish  as  Erica  —  always  frightened  about  something?" 

"  No,  indeed.  It  is  to  be  wished  that  Rolf  was  not  so 
light  as  he  is  —  so  inconsiderate  about  these  matters. 
Rolf  has  his  troubles  and  his  faults,  but  they  are  not 
of  that  kind." 

"Enough,"  said  M.  KoUsen,  with  a  voice  of  author- 
ity. "I  rejoice  to  hear  that  he  is  superior  to  the 
popular  delusions.  As  to  his  troubles  and  his  faults, 
they  may  be  left  for  me  to  discover  all  in  good  time." 

"With  all  my  heart,  sir.  They  are  nobody's  business 
but  his  own,  and,  may  be,  Erica's.  Rolf  has  a  good 
heart,  and  I  doubt  not  Ulla  and  I  shall  have  great  com- 
fort in  him.  He  lives  with  us,  sir,  from  this  night 
forwards.  There  is  no  fear  that  he  will  wish  us  in  our 
graves,  though  we  stand  between  him  and  his  marriage." 

"That  must  be  rather  a  painful  consideration  to  you." 

"Not  at  all,  sir,  at  present.  Ulla  and  I  were  all  the 
happier,  we  think,  to  this  day,  for  having  had  four  such 
years  as  these  young  people  have  before  them  to  know 
one  another  in,  and  grow  suitable  in  notions  and  habits, 
and  study  to  please  one  another.  By  the  time  Rolf  and 
Erica  are  what  we  were,  one  or  both  of  us  will  be 
underground,  and    Rolf   will    have,    I    am    certain,  the 


FEATS    ON    THE    FIORD.  19 

pleasant  feeling  of  having  done  his  duty  by  us.  It  is 
all  as  it  should  be,  sir ;  and  I  pray  that  they  may  live  to 
say  at  our  age  what  Ulla  and  I  can  say  at  the  same  sea- 
son of  our  lives." 

The  pastor  made  no  answer.  He  had  not  heard  the 
last  few  words  ;  for  what  Peder  said  of  being  underground 
had  plunged  him  into  a  revery  about  Peder's  funeral 
sermon,  which  he  should,  of  course,  have  to  preach. 
He  was  pondering  how  he  should  at  once  do  justice  to 
Peder's  virtues  and  mark  his  own  disapprobation  of  the 
countenance  Peder  gave  to  the  superstitions  of  the  region 
in  which  he  lived.  He  must  keep  in  view  the  love  and 
respect  in  which  the  old  man  was  held  by  everybody, 
and  yet  he  must  bear  witness  against  the  great  fault 
above  mentioned.  He  composed  two  or  three  para- 
graphs in  his  imagination  which  he  thought  would  do, 
and  then  committed  them  to  memory.  He  was  roused 
from  this  employment  by  a  loud  laugh  from  the  man 
whose  funeral  he  was  meditating,  and  saw  that  Peder 
was  enjoying  life  at  present  as  much  as  the  youngest, 
with  a  glass  of  punch  in  his  hand,  and  a  group  of  old 
men  and  women  round  him  recalling  the  jests  of  fifty 
years  ago. 

"  How  goes  it,  Rolf?"  said  his  master,  who,  having 
done  his  duty  in  the  dancing-room,  was  now  making  his 
way  to  the  card-tables,  in  another  apartment,  to  see 
how  his  guests  there  were  entertained.  Thinking  that 
Rolf  looked  very  absent,  as  he  stood,  in  the  pause  of 
the  dance,  in  silence  by  Erica's  side,  Erlingsen  clapped 
him  on  the  shoulder,  and  said,  "How  goes  it?  Make 
}'our  friends  merry." 

Rolf  bowed  and  smiled,  and  his  master  passed  on. 

"How  goes  it?  "repeated  Rolf  to  Erica,  as  he  looked 
earnestly  into  her  face.     "Is  all  going  on  well,  Erica?" 

"  Certainly.  I  suppose  so.  Why  not?"  she  replied. 
"  If  you  see  anything  wrong,  anything  omitted,  be 
sure  and  tell  me.  Madame  Erlingsen  would  be  very 
sorry.      Is  there  anything  forgotten,  Rolf?  " 


20  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 

"  I  think  you  have  forgotten  what  the  day  is:  that  is 
all.  Nobody  that  looked  at  you,  love,  would  fancy  it  to 
be  your  own  day.  You  look  an\'thing  but  merry. 
Hardly  a  smile  from  you  to-night !  And  that  is  a 
great  omission." 

"  O  Rolf,  there  is  something  so  much  better  than 
merriment !  " 

"Yes,  love;  but  where  is  it?  Not  in  your  heart 
to-night.  Erica." 

"Yes,  indeed,  Rolf." 

"You  look  as  dull,  —  as  sad, —  \'ou  and  liund,  as 
if—" 

"  Hund  !  "  repeated  Erica,  glancing  around  the  room 
for  Hund,  and  not  seeing  him  till  her  lover  reminded 
her  that  Hund  was  the  musician.  "  Hund  does  seem 
dull  enough  to  be  sure,"  said  she,  smiling;  "  I  hope  I 
do  not  often  look  like  that." 

"  I  am  more  sorry  for  him  than  you  are,  I  see," 
said  Rolf,  brightening  when  he  found  how  entirely 
Hund  had  been  absent  from  her  thoughts.  "  I  am 
more  sorry  for  Hund  than  you  are,  and  with  good 
reason,  for  I  know  what  the  happiness  is  that  he  has 
missed,  poor  fellow !  But  yet  I  think  you  might  feel 
a  little  more  for  him.  It  would  show  that  you  know 
how  to  value  love." 

"  Indeed  I  am  very  sorry  for  him  ;  but  more  for  his 
disappointment. about  the  house  than  any  other.  To- 
day once  over,  he  will  soon  fix  his  love  on  somebody 
else.  Perhaps  we  shall  be  dancing  on  his  betrothment- 
day  before  the  year  is  out." 

"  Then  I  hope  his  girl  will  look  merrier  than  }'0u  do 
to-night,"  muttered  Rolf,  with  a  sigh.  "  O  Erica !  I 
wish  you  would  trust  me.  I  could  take  care  of  you, 
and  make  you  quite  happy,  if  }'ou  would  only  believe 
it.  Ah  !  I  know  what  that  look  means.  I  know  you 
love  me,  and  all  that;  but  you  are  always  tormenting 
yourself —  " 

"  I  think  I  know  one  who  is  cleverer  still  at  tormenting 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  21 

himself,"  said  Erica,  with  a  smile.  "  Come,  Rolf,  no 
more  tormenting  of  ourselves  or  one  another !  No 
more  of  that  after  to-day!  What  is  to-day  worth,  if  it 
is  not  to  put  an  end  to  all  doubts  of  one  another?  " 

"  But  where  is  the  use  of  that,  if  you  still  will  not 
believe  that  I  can  keep  off  all  trouble  from  you?  that 
nothing  in  the  universe  shall  touch  you  to  your  hurt, 
while  —  " 

"  Oh,  hush  !  hush  !  "  said  Erica,  turning  pale  and  red 
at  the  presumption  of  this  speech.  "  See,  they  are 
waiting  for  us.      One  more  round  before  supper." 

And  in  the  w^hirl  of  the  waltz  she  tried  to  forget  the 
last  words  Rolf  had  spoken  ;  but  they  rang  in  her  ears  ; 
and  before  her  eyes  were  images  of  Nipen  overhearing 
this  defiance,  —  and  the  Watersprite  planning  vengeance 
in  its  palace  under  the  ice,  —  and  the  Mountain-Demon 
laughing  in  scorn,  till  the  echoes  shouted  again, —  and 
the  Wood-Demon  waiting  only  for  summer  to  see  how 
he  could  beguile  the  rash  lover.  Erica  finished  her 
dance ;  but  when  the  company  and  the  men  of  the 
household  were  seated  at  the  supper-table,  and  she  had 
to  help  her  mistress  and  the  young  ladies  to  wait  upon 
them,  she  trembled  so  that  she  could  scarcely  stand. 
It  was  so  very  wrong  of  Rolf  to  be  always  defying  the 
spirits ! 

Long  was  the  supper,  and  hearty  was  the  mirth  round 
the  table.  People  in  Norway  have  universally  a  hearty 
appetite,  —  such  an  appetite  as  we  English  have  no  idea 
of.  Whether  it  is  owing  to  the  sharp  climate,  or  to  the 
active  life  led  by  all, — whatever  may  be  the  cause, 
such  is  the  fact.  This  night,  piles  of  fish  disappeared 
first;  and  then  joint  after  joint  of  reindeer  venison. 
The  fine  game  of  the  country  was  handed  round,  cut 
up  ;  and  little  but  the  bones  was  left  of  a  score  of  birds. 
Then  there  were  preserved  fruits,  and  berries,  eaten  with 
thick  cream  ;  — almost  every  dish  that  could  be  thought 
of  made  of  the  rich  cream  of  the  north.  Erica  recov- 
ered herself  as  the   great   business  went  on,  and  while 


22  FEATS    ON    THE    lloRD. 

her  proud  lover  watched  her,  forj^etting  his  supper,  he 
thought  to  himself  that  no  one  of  the  fair  attendants 
trod  so  lightly  as  Erica  —  no  one  carved  so  neatly  — 
no  one  handed  the  dishes  so  gracefully,  or  was  so  quick 
at  seeing  to  whom  the  most  respect  and  attention  were 
owing.  Perhaps  this  last  thought  was  suggested  by 
Rolf's  perceiving  that,  either  by  her  own  hand  or 
another's,  the  hottest  dishes  and  the  nicest  bits  were 
found,  all  supper-time,  close  to  his  elbow.  Madame 
Erlingsen,  he  decided,  with  all  her  experience,  did  not 
do  the  duties  of  the  table  so  well ;  and  the  young  ladies, 
kind  and  good-tempered  as  they  were,  would  never,  by 
any  experience,  become  so  graceful  as  Erica. 

At  last  appeared  the  final  dish  of  the  long  feast  — 
the  sweet  cake,  with  which  dinner  and  supper  in  Nor- 
way usually  conclude.  While  this  was  sliced  and 
handed  round,  Rolf  observed  that  Erica  looked  anx- 
iously towards  him.  He  took  no  notice,  hoping  that 
she  would  come  and  speak  to  him,  and  that  he  should 
thus  be  the  gainer  of  a  few  of  her  sweet  words.  She 
did  come,  and  just  said, — 

"  The  cake  and  ale  are  here,  Rolf.  Will  you  carry 
them?" 

"  Oh,  the  treat  for  old  Nipen  !  Yes,  I  will  carry  them," 
replied  Rolf,  rising  from  his  seat. 

It  is  the  custom  in  the  country  regions  of  Norway  to 
give  the  spirit  Nipen  a  share  at  festival  times.  His 
Christmas  cake  is  richer  than  that  prepared  for  the 
guests;  and,  before  the  feast  is  finished,  it  is  laid  in 
some  place  out  of  doors,  where,  as  might  be  expected, 
it  is  never  to  be  found  in  the  morning.  Everybody 
knew  therefore  why  Rolf  rose  from  his  seat,  though 
some  were  too  far  off  to  hear  him  say  that  he  would 
carry  out  the  treat  for  old  Nipen. 

"  Now,  p-  ay  do  not  speak  so,  —  do  not  call  him  those 
names,"  said  Erica,  anxiously.  "  It  is  quite  as  easy  to 
speak  so  as  not  to  offend  him.  Pray,  Rolf,  to  please 
me,  do  speak  respectfully.     And    promise  me  to    play 


FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD.  23 

no  tricks,  but  just  set  the  things  down,  and  come 
straight  in,  and  do  not  look  behind  you.  Promise  me, 
Rolf." 

Rolf  did  promise,  but  he  was  stopped  by  two  voices, 
calling  upon  him,  Oddo,  the  herd-boy,  came  running 
to  claim  the  office  of  carrying  out  Nipen's  cake ;  and 
M.  Kollsen,  from  his  seat,  declared  that  he  could  not 
countenance  any  superstitious  observance, —  would  not 
indeed  permit  any  so  gross  as  this  in  his  presence.  He 
requested  that  the  company  might  have  the  benefit  of 
the  cake,  and  made  a  speech  in  ridicule  of  all  spirits 
and  fairies  so  very  bold  and  contemptuous,  that  all  pres- 
ent who  had  to  go  home  that  night  looked  in  consterna- 
tion at  their  host.  If  such  language  as  M.  Kollsen's  were 
allowed,  they  looked  for  nothing  less  than  to  have  their 
way  beset  by  offended  spirits;  so  that  Erlingsen  might 
hear  in  the  morning  of  some  being  frozen,  some  being 
lost  in  the  fiord,  and  others  tumbled  from  precipices, 
M,  Erlingsen  made  haste  to  speak.  He  did  not  use 
any  scruples  with  the  young  clergyman.  He  told  him 
that  every  one  present  would  be  happy  at  all  tunes  to 
hear  him  speak  on  the  matters  belonging  to  his  office. 
He  had  discharged  his  office  in  the  morning,  in  betroth- 
ing Rolf  and  Erica ;  he  was  now  resting  from  his  busi- 
ness as  a  guest  at  that  table ;  and  he  would,  of  course, 
allow  that  the  direction  of  the  festivity  rested  with  the 
host  and  hostess,  whose  desire  it  was  that  everything 
should  be  done  which  was  agreeable  to  the  feelings  and 
habits  of  the  greater  number  of  the  guests. 

It  was  settled  in  a  moment  that  Nipen  should  have 
his  cake ;  which  so  shocked  and  annoyed  M,  Kollsen 
that  he  declared  he  would  not  remain  to  sanction  any- 
thing so  impious,  and  requested  that  his  boatmen  might 
be  called  from  their  suppers,  and  desired  to  have  his 
boat  ready  immediately.  No  entreaties  would  soften 
him  ;    go  he  would. 

It  appeared,  however,  that  he  could  not  go.  Not  a 
man  would    row  him,  after  what   he  had   just  said  of 


24  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD, 

Nipen.  All  were  sure  that  a  gust  would  blow  the  boat 
over,  the  minute  she  was  out  of  reach  of  land  ;  or  that 
a  rock  would  spring  up  in  deep  water,  where  no  rock 
was  before ;  or  that  some  strong  hand  would  grasp 
the  boat  from  below,  and  draw  it  down  under  the  waters. 
A  shudder  went  round  as  these  things  were  prophe- 
sied, and,  of  course,  M.  Kollsen's  return  home  that  night 
was  out  of  the  question,  unless  he  would  row  himself. 
At  first,  he  declared  he  should  do  this ;  but  he  was  so 
earnestly  entreated  to  attempt  nothing  so  rash,  that  he 
yielded  the  point,  with  a  supercilious  air  which  perhaps 
concealed  more  satisfaction  than  he  chose  to  avow  to 
himself.  He  insisted  on  retiring  immediately,  how- 
ever, and  was  shown  to  his  chamber  at  once  by  Erlingsen 
himself,  who  found,  on  his  return,  that  the  company 
were  the  better  for  the  pastor's  absence,  though  unable 
to  recover  the  mirth  which  he  had  put  to  flight.  Erica 
had  been  shedding  a  few  tears,  in  spite  of  strong  efforts 
to  restrain  them.  Here  was  a  bad  omen  already, —  on 
the  very  day  of  her  betrothment;  and  she  saw  that 
Hund  thought  so;  for  there  w^as  a  gloomy  satisfac- 
tion in  his  eye,  as  he  sat  silently  watching  all  that 
passed. 

She  could  not  help  being  glad  that  Oddo  renewed  his 
request  to  be  allowed  to  carry  out  Nipen's  cake  and  ale. 
She  eagerly  put  the  ale-can  into  his  hand,  and  the  cake 
under  his  arm ;  and  Oddo  was  going  out,  when  his 
blind  grandfather,  hearing  that  he  was  to  be  the  mes- 
senger, observed  that  he  should  be  better  pleased  if  it 
were  somebody  else ;  for  Oddo,  though  a  good  boy, 
was  inquisitive,  and  apt  to  get  into  mischief  by  looking 
too  closely  into  everything,  —  having  never  a  thought  of 
fear.  Everybody  knew  this  to  be  true,  though  Oddo 
himself  declared  that  he  was  as  frightened  as  anybody 
sometimes.  Moreover,  he  asked  what  there  was  to  pry 
into,  on  the  present  occasion,  in  the  middle  of  the  night, 
and  appealed  to  the  company  whether  Nipen  was  not 
best  pleased  to  be  served  by  the  youngest  of  a  party. 


FEATS    ON    THE    FIORD. 


-D 


This  was  allowed,  and  he  was  permitted  to  go,  when 
Peder's  consent  was  obtained,  his  mistress  going  to  the 
door  with  him,  and  seeing  him  off,  putting  him  in  mind 
that  the  dancing  could  not  begin  again  till  he  returned 
to  take  up  his  clarionet. 


26  FEATS    ON   THE    EIORD. 

CHAPTER   II. 

ODnO'S    WAT.K. 

The  place  where  Nipen  liked  to  find  his  offerings 
was  at  the  end  of  the  barn,  below  the  gallery  which  ran 
round  the  outside  of  the  building.  There,  in  the 
summer,  lay  a  plot  of  green  grass,  and  in  the  winter  a 
sheet  of  pure  frozen  snow.  Thither  Oddo  shuffled  on, 
over  the  slippery  surface  of  the  yard,  and  across  the 
paddock,  along  the  lane  made  by  the  snow-plough  be- 
tween high  banks  of  snow;  and  he  took  prodigious 
pains,  between  one  slip  and  another,  not  to  spill  the 
ale.  He  looked  more  like  a  prowling  cub  than  a  boy, 
wrapped  as  he  was  in  his  wolf-skin  coat  and  his  fox-skin 
cap  doubled  down  over  his  ears. 

As  may  be  supposed  from  Oddo's  declaring  that  he 
was  sometimes  frightened,  he  was  a  brave  boy.  A 
cowardly  boy  would  not  have  said  it ;  a  cowardly  boy 
would  not  have  offered  to  go  at  all ;  a  cowardly  boy 
would,  if  he  had  been  sent,  have  wished  that  the  house- 
door  might  be  left  open,  that  he  might  see  the  cheerful 
yellow  light  from  within ;  whereas  Oddo  begged  his 
mistress  to  shut  the  door,  that  his  grandfather  might 
not  be  made  to  feel  his  rheumatism  by  any  draught  as 
he  sat  at  table.  A  cowardly  boy  would  have  run 
as  fast  as  he  could,  perhaps  slipping  or  falling,  and 
spilling  the  ale;  and  when  his  errand  was  done,  he 
would  have  fled  home,  without  looking  behind  him, 
fancying  everything  he  saw  and  heard  a  spirit  or  a  wild 
beast.  Oddo  did  very  differently  from  this.  As  usual, 
he  was  too  busy  finding  out  how  everything  happened 
to  feel  afraid,  as  a  less  inquisitive  boy  would. 

The  cake  steamed  up  in  the  frosty  air  under  his  nose, 
so  warm,  and  spicy,  and  rich,  that  Oddo  began  to  wonder 


FEATS    ON    THE    FIORD. 


27 


what  so  very  superior  a  cake  could  be  like.  He  had 
never  tasted  any  cake  so  rich  as  this,  nor  had  any  one 
in  the  house  tasted  such  ;  for  Nipen  would  be  offended 
if  his  cake  was  not  richer  than  anybody's  else.  Oddo 
wondered  more  and  more  how  this  would  taste,  till, 
before  he  had 
crossed  the  yard, 
he  wondered  no 
longer.  He  broke 
a  piece  off,  and 
ate  it;  and  then 
wondered  whether 
Nipen  would  mind 
his  cake  being 
just  a  little  smaller 
than  usual.  After 
a  few  steps  more, 
the  wonder  was 
how  far  Nipen's  'lA- 
charity  would  go, 
for  the  cake  was 
now  a  great  deal 
smaller,  and  Oddo 
next  ^\'ondered 
whether  anybody 
could  stop  eating 
such  a  cake  when 
it  was  once  tasted. 
He  was  surprised  to  see,  when  he  came  out  into  the 
starlight,  at  the  end  of  the  barn,  how  small  a  piece 
was  left.  He  stood  li'stening  whether  Nipen  was  com- 
ing in  a  gust  of  wind,  and  when  he  heard  no  breeze 
stirring,  he  looked  about  for  a  cloud  where  Nipen  might 
be.  There  was  no  cloud,  as  far  as  he  could  see.  The 
moon  had  set,  but  the  stars  were  so  bright  as  to  throw 
a  faint  shadow  from  Oddo's  form  upon  the  snow.  There 
was  no  sign  of  any  spirit  being  angry  at  present ;  but 
Oddo  thought  Nipen  would  certainly  be  angry  at  finding 


28  FEATS    ON    THE    FIORD. 

SO  very  small  a  piece  of  cake.  It  might  be  better  to 
let  the  ale  stand  by  itself,  and  Nipen  would  perhaps 
suppose  that  Madame  Erlingsen's  stock  of  groceries  had 
fallen  short;  at  least,  that  it  was  in  some  way  incon- 
venient to  make  the  cake  on  the  present  occasion. 
So,  putting  down  his  can  upon  the  snow,  and  holding 
the  last  fragment  of  the  cake  between  his  teeth,  he  seized 
a  birch  pole  which  hung  down  from  the  gallery,  and 
by  its  help  climbed  one  of  the  posts,  and  got  over  the 
rails  into  the  gallery,  whence  he  could  watch  what 
would  happen.  To  remain  on  the  very  spot  where 
Nipen  was  expected  was  a  little  more  than  he  was 
equal  to ;  but  he  thought  he  could  stand  in  the  gallery, 
in  the  shadow  of  the  broad  eaves  of  the  barn,  and  wait 
for  a  little  while.  He  was  so  very  curious  to  see  Nipen, 
and  to  learn  how  it  liked  its  ale ! 

There  he  stood  in  the  shadow,  hearing  nothing  but 
his  own  munching,  though  there  was  not  much  of  that ; 
for  as  he  came  near  the  end,  he  took  only  a  little  crumb 
at  a  time,  to  spin  out  the  treat;  for  never  was  anything 
so  good  !  Then  he  had  nothing  to  do  but  listen :  but 
the  waterfall  was  frozen  up ;  and  the  mill  stood  as  still 
as  if  it  was  not  made  to  move.  If  the  wheel  should 
creak,  it  would  be  a  sign  that  Nipen  was  passing. 

Presently  he  heard  something. 

"  Music  !  "  thought  he.  "  I  never  heard  that  it  liked 
music ;  and  I  don't  think  it  can  know  much  about 
music,  for  this  is  not  at  all  sweet.  There  again  !  That 
was  a  sort  of  screech.  Oh,  how  stupid  I  am  !  "  thought 
he  again.  "  So  much  for  my  head  being  full  of  Nipen  ! 
It  is  only  Hund,  tuning  his  violin,  because  they  have 
all  done  supper.  They  will  be  waiting  for  me.  I  wish 
this  Nipen  would  make  haste.  It  can't  be  very  hungry, 
that  is  clear." 

He  grew  more  and  more  impatient  as  the  minutes 
passed  on,  and  he  was  aware  that  he  was  wanted  in  the 
house.  Once  or  twice  he  walked  slowly  away,  looking 
behind   him,  and  then  turned   again,   unwilling  to   miss 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 


29 


this  opportunity  of  seeing  Nipen.  Then  he  called  the 
spirit,  —  actually  begged  it  to  appear.  His  first  call 
was  almost  a  whisper ;  but  he  called  louder  and  louder 
by  degrees,  till  he  was  suddenly  stopped  by  hearing  an 
answer. 

The  call  he  heard  was  soft  and  sweet.  There  was 
nothing  terrible  in  the  sound  itself;  yet  Oddo  grasped 
the  rail  of  the  gallery  with  all  his  strength,  as  he  heard 
it.  The  strangest  thing  was,  it  was  not  a  single  cry; 
others  followed,  —  all  soft  and  sweet;  but  Oddo  thought 
that  Nipen  must  have  many  companions :  and  he  had 
not  prepared  himself  to  see  more  spirits  than  one.  As 
usual,  however,  his  curiosity  grew  more  intense,  from 
the  little  he  had  heard ;  and  he  presently  called  again. 
Again  he  was  answered,  by  four  or  five  voices  in  suc- 
cession. 

"Was  ever  anybody  so  stupid  !  "  cried  the  boy,  now 
stamping  with  vexation.  "  It  is  the  echo,  after  all ! 
As  if  there  was  not  always  an  echo  here,  opposite  the 
rock  !  It  is  not  Nipen  at  all.  I  will  just  wait  another 
minute,     however." 

He  leaned  in 
silence  on  his  folded 
arms,  and  had  not 
so  waited  for  many 
seconds  before  he 
saw  something  mov- 
ing on  the  snow 
at  1  little  distance. 
It  came  nearer  and 
nearer,  and  at  last 
quite  up  to  the  can 
of  ale. 

"  I  am  glad  I 
stayed,"  thought  Oddo.  "  Now  I  can  say  I  have  seen 
Nipen.  It  is  much  less  terrible  than  I  expected. 
Grandfather  told  me  that  it  sometimes  came  like  an 
enormous  elephant  or  hippopotamus  ;  and  never  smaller 


30  FEATS    OX   THE    EIORU. 

than  a  large  bear.  But  this  is  no  bigger  than  —  let 
me  see  —  I  think  it  is  most  like  a  fox.  I  should  like 
to  make  it  speak  to  me.  They  would  think  so  much  of 
me  at  home,  if  I  had  talked  with  Nipen." 

So  he  began  gently,  — 

"  Is  that  Nipen?" 

The  thing  moved  its  bushy  tail,  but  did  not  answer. 

"  There  is  no  cake  for  you  to-night,  Nipen.  I  hope 
the  ale  will  do.     Is  the  ale  good,  Nipen?  " 

Off  went  the  dark  creature,  without  a  word,  as  quick 
as  it  could  go. 

"Is  it  offended?"  thought  Oddo :  "or  is  it  really 
what  it  looks  like,  —  a  fox?  If  it  does  not  come  back, 
I  will  go  down  presently,  and  see  whether  it  has  drunk 
the  ale.     If  not,  I  shall  think  it  is  only  a  fox." 

He  presently  let  himself  down  to  the  ground  by  the 
way  he  had  come  up,  and  eagerly  laid  hold  of  the  ale- 
can.  It  would  not  stir.  It  was  as  fast  on  the  ground 
as  if  it  was  enchanted,  which  Oddo  did  not  doubt  was 
the  case ;  and  he  started  back,  with  more  fear  than  he 
had  yet  had.  The  cold  he  felt  on  this  exposed  spot 
soon  reminded  him,  however,  that  the  can  was  probably 
frozen  to  the  snow, —  which  it  might  well  be,  after  being 
brought  warm  from  the  fireside.  It  was  so.  The  vessel 
had  sunk  an  inch  into  the  snow,  and  was  there  fixed  by 
the  frost. 

None  of  the  ale  seemed  to  have  been  drunk ;  and  so 
cold  was  Oddo  by  this  time,  that  he  longed  for  a  sup  of 
it.  He  took  first  a  sup,  and  then  a  draught,  and  then 
he  remembered  that  the  rest  would  be  entirely  spoiled 
by  the  frost  if  it  stood  another  hour.  This  would  be  a 
pity,  he  thought;  so  he  finished  it,  saying  to  himself 
that  he  did  not  believe  Nipen  would  come  that  night. 

At  that  very  moment  he  heard  a  cry  so  dreadful  that 
it  shot,  like  sudden  pain,  through  every  nerve  of  his 
body.  It  was  not  a  shout  of  anger;  it  was  something 
between  a  shriek  and  a  wail, —  like  what  he  fancied 
would  be  the  cry  of  a  person  in  the  act  of  being  mur- 


FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD. 


31 


dered.     That  Nipen  was  here  now,  he  could  not  doubt ; 

and  at  length  Oddo  fled.      He   fled   the   faster,  at  first, 

for  hearing  the  rustle  of  wings  ;  but  the  curiosity  of  the 

boy  even  now  got  the  better  of  his  terror,  and  he  looked 

up  at  the  barn  where  the  wings  were  rustling.     There 

he  saw,   in    the 

starlight,   the  z' 

glitter     of     two 

enormous  round 

eyes,     shining 

down  upon  him 

from   the   ridge 

of  the  roof.    But 

it  struck  him  at 

once  that  he  had 

seen  those  eyes 

before.        He 

checked     his 

speed,  stopped,  went  back  a  little,  sprang  up  once  more 

into  the  gallery,  hissed,  waved  his  cap,  and  clapped  his 

hands,  till  the   echoes  were  all  awake  again ;    and,  as 

he  had   hoped,  the  great  white  owl  spread  its  wings, 

sprang  off  from  the  ridge,  and  sailed  away  over  the  fiord. 

Oddo  tossed  up  his  cap,  cold  as  the  night  was,  so 
delighted  was  he  to  have  scared  away  the  bird  which 
had  for  a  moment  scared  him.  He  hushed  his  mirth, 
however,  when  he  perceived  that  lights  were  wandering 
in  the  yard,  and  that  there  were  voices  approaching. 
He  saw  that  the  household  were  alarmed  about  him, 
and  were  coming  forth  to  search  for  him.  Curious  to 
see  what  they  would  do,  Oddo  crouched  down  in  the 
darkest  corner  of  the  gallery  to  watch  and  listen. 

First  came  Rolf  and  his  master,  carrying  torches, 
with  which  they  lighted  up  the  whole  expanse  of  snow 
as  they  came.  They  looked  round  them  without  any 
fear,  and  Oddo  heard  Rolf  say, — 

"  If  it  were  not  for  that  cry,  sir,  I  should  think  noth- 
ing- of  it.     But  mv  fear  is  that  some  beast  has  got  him." 


32        '  FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD. 

"  Search  first  the  place  where  the  cake  and  ale  ought 
to  be,"  said  Erlingsen.  "Till  I  see  blood,  I  shall  hope 
the  best." 

"  You  will  not  see  that,"  said  Hund,  who  followed, 
his  gloomy  countenance  now  distorted  by  fear,  look- 
ing ghastly  in  the  yellow  light  of  the  torch  he  car- 
ried. "You  will  see  no  blood,  Nipen  docs  not  draw 
blood." 

"  Never  tell  me  that  any  one  that  was  not  wounded 
and  torn  could  send  out  such  a  cry  as  that,"  said  Rolf. 
"  Some  wild  brute  seized  him,  no  doubt,  at  the  very 
moment  that  Erica  and  I  were  standing  at  the  door 
listening." 

Oddo  repented  his  prank  when  he  saw,  in  the  flicker- 
ing light  behind  the  crowd  of  guests,  who  seemed  to 
hang  together  like  a  bunch  of  grapes,  the  figures  of  his 
grandfather  and  Erica.  The  old  man  had  come  out  in 
the  cold  for  his  sake ;  and  Erica,  who  looked  as  white 
as  the  snow,  had  no  doubt  come  forth  because  the  old 
man  wanted  a  guide.  Oddo  now  wished  himself  out  of 
the  scrape.  Sorry  as  he  was,  he  could  not  help  being 
amused,  and  keeping  himself  hidden  a  little  longer, 
when  he  saw  Rolf  discover  the  round  hole  in  the  snow 
where  the  can  had  sunk,  and  heard  the  different  opin- 
ions of  the  company  as  to  what  this  portended.  Most 
w^ere  convinced  that  his  curiosity  had  been  his  destruc- 
tion, as  they  had  always  prophesied.  What  could  be 
clearer  by  this  hole  than  that  the  ale  had  stood  there, 
and  been  carried  off  with  the  cake,  and  Oddo  with  it, 
because  he  chose  to  stay  and  witness  what  is  forbidden 
to  mortals? 

"I  wonder  where  he  is  now?  "  said  a  shivering  youth, 
the  gayest  dancer  of  the  evening. 

"Oh,  there  is  no  doubt  about  that;  any  one  can  tell 
you  that,"  replied  the  elderly  and  experienced  M.  Hol- 
berg.  "  He  is  chained  upon  a  wind,  poor  fellow,  like 
all  Nipcn's  victims.  He  will  have  to  be  shut  up  in  a 
cave  all  the  hot  summer  through,  when  it  is  pleasantest 


FEATS    OX   THE   FIORD.  33 

to  be  abroad  ;  and  when  the  frost  and  snow  come  again, 
he  will  be  driven  out  with  a  lash  of  Nipen's  whip,  and 
he  must  go  fl}'ing  wherever  his  wind  flies  without  resting 
or  stopping  to  warm  himself  at  any  fire  in  the  country. 
Every  winter  now,  when  Erlingsen  hears  a  moaning 
above  his  chimne}',  he  may  know  it  is  poor  Oddo, 
foolish  boy !  " 

"Foolish  boy!  but  one  can't  help  pit}'ing  him,"  said 
another.  "  Chained  astride  upon  the  wind,  and  never 
to  be  warm  again  !  " 

Oddo  had  thus  far  kept  his  laughter  to  himself,  but  now 
he  could  contain  himself  no  longer.  He  laughed  aloud, 
and  then  louder  and  louder  as  he  heard  the  echoes  all 
laughing  with  him.  The  faces  below,  too,  were  so  very 
ridiculous  —  some  of  the  people  staring  up  in  the  air, 
and  others  at  the  rock  where  the  echo  came  from ;  some 
having  their  mouths  wide  open,  others  their  eyes  start- 
ing, and  all  looking  unlike  themselves  in  the  torchlight. 
His  mirth  was  stopped  by  his  master. 

"Come  down,  sir,"  cried  Erlingsen,  looking  up  at  the 
gallery.  "Come  down  this  moment.  We  shall  make 
you  remember  this  night  as  well  perhaps  as  Nipen 
could  do.  Come  down,  and  bring  my  can  and  the  ale 
and  the  cake.  The  more  pranks  you  play  to-night  the 
more   you  will  repent  it." 

Most  of  the  company  thought  Erlingsen  very  bold  to 
talk  in  this  way;  but  he  was  presently  justified  by 
Oddo's  appearance  on  the  balustrade.  His  master 
seized  him  as  he  touched  the  ground,  while  the  others 
stood  aloof. 

"  Where  is  my  ale-can?  "  said  Erlingsen. 

"  Here,  sir  "  ;  and  Oddo  held  it  up  dangling  by  the 
handle. 

"And  the  cake?  I  bade  you  bring  down  the  cake 
with  you." 

"  So  I  did,  sir." 

And  to  his  master's  look  of  inquiry  the  boy  answered 
by  pointing  down  his  throat  with  one  finger,  and  laying 


34 


FEATS    UN     I'lIE    FIORD. 


the   Other   hand   upon   his  stomach.      "It   is  all   here, 
sir." 

"And  the  ale  in  the  same  place?" 
Oddo    bowed,    and    Erlingsen   turned   away    without 
speaking.     He  could  not  have  spoken  without  laughing, 
"Bring  this  gentleman   home,"  said  Erlingsen,   pres- 
ently to  Rolf;    "and  do  not  let  him  out  of  your  hands. 
Let    no    one    ask  him  any  questions  till  he  is  in    the 

house."  Rolfgrasped 
the  boy's  arm,  and 
Erlingsen  went  for- 
ward to  relieve  Peder, 
though  it  was  not 
very  clear  to  him  at 
the  moment  whether 
such  a  grandchild  was 
better  safe  or  missing. 
The  old  man  made 
no  such  question,  but 
hastened  back  to  the 
house  with  many  ex- 
pressions of  thanks- 
giving. 
As  the  search-party 
crowded  in  among  the  women,  and  pushed  all  before 
them  into  the  large  warm  room,  M.  Kollsen  was  seen 
standing  on  the  stairhead,  wrapped  in  the  bear-skin 
coverlid. 

"Is  the  boy  there?"  he  inquired. 
Oddo  showed  himself. 

"How  much  have  you  seen  of  Nipen,  hey?" 
"Nobody  ever  had  a  better  sight  of  it,  sir.     It  was  as 
plain  as  I  see  you  now,  and  no  farther  off." 
"Nonsense,  —  it  is  a  lie,"  said  M.  Kollsen. 
"Do  not  believe  a  word  he  says,"  advised  the  pastor, 
speaking  to  the  listeners.     "There  is  the  folly  of  giving 
such  an  opportunity  to  a  child  of  making  himself  impor- 
tant.    If  he  had  had  his  share  of  the  cake,  with  the 


FEATS    Ox\   THE   FIORD.  35 

rest  of  US  at  table,  he  would  have  taken  it  quietly,  and 
been  thankful.  As  it  is,  it  will  be  harder  work  than 
ever  to  drive  out  these  wicked  superstitions.  Go,  get 
along!"  he  cried  to  Oddo;  "  I  do  not  want  to  hear  a 
word  you  have  got  to  say." 

Oddo  bowed,  and  proceeded  to  the  great  room,  where 
he  took  up  his  clarionet,  as  if  it  was  a  matter  of  course 
that  the  dancing  was  to  begin  again  immediately.  He 
blew  upon  his  fingers,  however,  observing  that  they 
were  too  stiff  with  cold  to  do  their  duty  well.  And 
when  he  turned  towards  the  fire,  every  one  made  way 
for  him,  in  a  very  different  manner  from  what  they 
would  have  dreamed  of  three  hours  before.  Oddo  had 
his  curiosity  gratified  as  to  how  they  would  regard  one 
who  was  believed  to  have  seen  something  supernatural. 

Erlingsen  saw  that  something  must  be  done  on  the 
spot,  to  clear  up  the  affair.  If  his  guests  went  home 
without  having  heard  the  mysteries  of  the  night  ex- 
plained, the  whole  country  would  presently  be  filled 
with  wild  and  superstitious  stories.  He  requested 
Peder  to  examine  the  boy,  as  Oddo  stood  more  in  awe 
of  his  grandfather  than  of  any  one  else ;  and  also 
because  Peder  was  known  to  be  so  firm  a  believer  in 
Nipen,  that  his  judgment  would  be  more  readily  re- 
ceived than  that  of  an  unbeliever.  When  seriously 
questioned,  Oddo  had  no  wish  to  say  anything  but  the 
truth  ;  and  he  admitted  the  whole,  —  that  he  had  eaten 
the  entire  cake,  drunk  all  the  ale,  seen  a  fox  and  an 
owl,  and  heard  the  echoes  in  answer  to  himself.  As  he 
finished  his  story,  Hund,  who  was  perhaps  the  most 
eager  listener  of  all,  leaped  thrice  upon  the  floor,  snap- 
ping his  fingers,  as  if  in  a  passion  of  delight.  He  met 
Erlingsen's  eye  full  of  severity,  and  was  quiet;  but  his 
countenance  still  glowed  with  exaltation. 

The  rest  of  the  company  was  greatly  shocked  at 
these  daring  insults  to  Nipen :  and  none  more  so  than 
Peder.  The  old  man's  features  worked  with  emotion, 
as  he  said  in  a  low  voice  that  he  should  be  very  thank- 


36  FEAIS    OX    THE   FIORD. 

ful  if  all  the  mischief  that  might  follow  upon  this 
adventure  might  be  borne  by  the  kin  of  him  who  had 
provoked  it.  If  it  should  fall  upon  those  who  were 
innocent,  never  surely  had  boy  been  so  miserable  as  his 
poor  lad  would  then  be.  Oddo's  eyes  filled  with  tears, 
as  he  heard  this ;  and  he  looked  up  at  his  master  and 
mistress,  as  if  to  ask  whether  they  had  no  word  of  com- 
fort to  say, 

"Neighbor,"  said  Madame  Erlingscn  to  Pedcr,  "is 
there  any  one  here  who  does  not  believe  that  God  is 
over  all,  and  that  he  protects  the  innocent?" 

"  Is  there  any  one  who  does  not  feel,"  added  Erling- 
sen,  "  that  the  innocent  should  be  gay,  safe  as  the}'  are 
in  the  good-will  of  God  and  man?  Come,  neighbors, 
—  to  your  dancing  again  !  You  have  lost  too  much 
time  already.  Now,  Oddo,  play  your  best,  —  and  you, 
Hund." 

"  I  hope,"  said  Oddo,  "  that  if  any  mischief  is  to 
come,  it  will  fall  upon  me.     We'll  see  how  I  shall  bear  it." 

"  Mischief  enough  will  befall  you,  boy,  —  ne\-er 
doubt  it,"  said  his  master,  "  as  long  as  you  trifle  \\ith 
people's  feelings  as  you  have  done  to-night.  Go. 
Make  up  for  it  all  you  can." 

The  dancing  was  spiritless,  and  there  was  little  more 
of  it.  The  mirth  of  the  meeting  was  destroyed.  The 
party  broke  up  at  three,  instead  of  five  or  six  ;  and  it 
might  have  been  earlier  still,  but  for  the  unwillingness 
of  every  family  present  to  be  the  first  to  go  upon  the 
lake,  or  to  try  the  road.  At  last,  all  understood  one 
another's  feelings  by  their  own  ;  and  the  whole  com- 
pany departed  at  once  in  two  bands,  —  one  by  water, 
and  the  other  by  land.  Those  who  went  in  sleighs 
took  care  that  a  heavy  stone  was  fastened  by  a  rope  to 
the  back  of  each  carriage,  that  its  bobbing  and  danc- 
ing on  the  road  might  keep  off  the  wolves.  Glad 
would  they  have  been  of  any  contrivance  by  which 
they  might  as  certainly  distance  Nipen.  Rolf  then 
took  a  parting  kiss  from  Erica  in  the  porch,  pushed 


FEATS    ON    THE    FIORD.  3/ 

Oddo  on  before,  and  followed  with  Peder.  Erica 
watched  them  quite  to  the  door  of  their  own  house,  and 
then  came  in,  and  busied  herself  in  making  a  clearance 
of  some  of  the  confusion  which  the  guests  had  left 
behind. 

"  Oddo  could  not  get  a  word  from  you.  Erica," 
observed  her  mistress ;  "  not  even  a  look  in  answer  to 
his  '  good  night.' 

"  I  could  not,  madam,"  answered  Erica,  tears  and 
sobs  breaking  forth.  "  When  I  think  of  it  all,  I  am  so 
shocked,  —  so  ashamed  !  " 

"  How  ashamed?  " 

"  Nipen  has  been  so  favorable  to  us  to-day,  madam  ! 
not  a  breath  of  wind  stirring  all  the  morning,  so  that 
nobody  was  disappointed  of  coming!  And  then  to 
serve  it  in  this  way !  To  rob  it,  and  mock  it,  and 
brave  it  as  we  have  done  !  —  So  ungrateful !  — so  very 
wrong !  " 

"  We  are  very  sorry  for  Oddo's  trick,  — your  master 
and  I,"  said  Madame  Erlingsen  ;  "but  we  are  not  in 
the  least  afraid  of  any  further  harm  happening.  You 
know  we  do  not  believe  that  God  permits  his  children 
to  be  at  the  mercy  of  evil  or  capricious  spirits.  In- 
deed, Erica,  we  could  not  love  God  as  we  should  wish 
to  love  Him,  if  we  could  not  trust  in  Him  as  a  just  and 
kind  protector.  Go  to  rest  now,  Erica.  You  have 
done  quite  enough  since  you  left  your  bed.  Go  to 
rest  now.  Rest  your  heart  upon  Him  who  has  blessed 
you  exceedingly  this  day.  Whatever  others  do,  do  not 
you  be  ungrateful  to  Him.  Good  sleep  to  you.  Erica! 
Sleep  off  your  troubles,  that  Rolf  may  see  nothing  of 
them  in  the  morning." 

Erica  smiled ;  and  when  Orga  and  FroUch  saw  the 
effect  of  what  their  mother  had  said,  they  too  went  to 
rest  without  trembling  at  every  one  of  the  noises  with 
which  a  house  built  of  wood  is  always  resounding. 


38  FEATS   OX    THE    ITORD. 

CHAPTER   III. 

OLAF   AND    HIS   NEWS. 

When  M.  Kollscn  appeared  the  next  morning,  the 
household  had  so  much  of  its  usual  air  that  no  stranger 
would  have  imagined  how  it  had  been  occupied  the  day 
before.  The  large  room  was  fresh  strewn  with  ever- 
green sprigs ;  the  breakfast-table  stood  at  one  end, 
where  each  took  breakfast,  standing,  immediately  on 
coming  down-stairs.  At  the  bottom  of  the  room  was  a 
busy  group.  The  shoemaker,  who  travelled  this  way 
twice  a  year,  had  appeared  this  morning,  and  was 
already  engaged  upon  the  skins  which  had  been  tanned 
on  the  farm,  and  kept  in  readiness  for  him.  He  was 
instructing  Oddo  in  the  making  of  the  tall  boots  of  the 
country ;  and  Oddo  was  so  eager  to  have  a  pair  in 
which  he  might  walk  knee-deep  in  the  snow  when  the 
frost  should  be  over,  that  he  gave  all  his  attention  to 
the  work.  Peder  was  twisting  strips  of  leather,  thin 
and  narrow,  into  whips.  Rolf  and  Hund  were  silently 
intent  upon  a  sort  of  work  which  the  Norwegian  peasant 
delights  in,  —  carving  wood.  They  spoke  only  to 
answ^er  Peder's  questions  about  the  progress  of  the 
work.  Peder  loved  to  hear  about  their  carving,  and  to 
feel  it;  for  he  had  been  remarkable  for  his  skill  in  the 
art,  as  long  as  his  sight  lasted. 

Erlingsen  was  reading  the  newspaper,  which  must  go 
away  in  the  pastor's  pocket.  Madame  was  spinning; 
and  her  daughters  sat  busil}'  plying  their  needles  with 
Erica,  in  a  corner  of  the  apartment.  The  three  were 
putting  the  last  stitches  to  the  piece  of  work  which  the 
pastor  was  also  to  carry  away  with  him,  as  his  fee  for  his 
services  of  yesterday.  It  was  an  eider-down  coverlid,  of 
which  Rolf  had  procured  the  down,  from  the  islets  in 


FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD.  39 

the  fiord  frequented  by  the  eider-duck,  and  Erica  had 
woven  the  cover  and  quilted  it,  with  the  assistance  of 
her  young  ladies,  in  an  elegant  pattern.  The  other 
housemaiden  was  in  the  chambers,  hanging  out  the 
bedding  in  an  upper  gallery  to  air,  as  she  did  on  all 
days  of  fair  weather. 

The  whole  party  rose  when  M.  Kollsen  entered  the 
room,  but  presently  resumed  their  employments,  except 
Madame  Erlingsen,  who  conducted  the  pastor  to  the 
breakfast-table,  and  helped  him  plentifully  to  reindeer 
ham,  bread  and  butter,  and  corn-brandy,  —  the  usual 
breakfast.  M.  Kollsen  carried  his  plate  and  ate,  as  he 
went  round  to  converse  with  each  group.  First,  he 
talked  politics  a  little  with  his  host,  by  the  fireside ;  in 
the  midst  of  which  conversation  Erlingsen  managed  to 
intimate  that  nothing  would  be  heard  of  Nipen  to-day, 
if  the  subject  was  let  alone  by  themselves :  a  hint 
which  the  clergyman  was  willing  to  take,  as  he  sup- 
posed it  meant  in  deference  to  his  views.  Then  he 
complimented  Madame  Erlingsen  on  the  excellence  of 
her  ham,  and  helped  himself  again;  and  next  drew 
near  the  girls. 

Erica  blushed,  and  was  thinking  how  she  should 
explain  that  she  wished  his  acceptance  of  her  work, 
when  Frolich  saved  her  the  awkwardness  by  saying,  — 

"We  hope  you  will  like  this  coverlid,  for  we  have 
made  an  entirely  new  pattern  on  purpose  for  it.  Orga, 
you  have  the  pattern.  Do  show  M.  Kollsen  how 
pretty  it  looks  on  paper." 

M.  Kollsen  did  not  know  much  about  such  things; 
but  he  admired  as  much  as  he  could. 

•*  That  lily  of  the  valley,  see,  is  mamma's  idea  ;  and 
the  barberry,  answering  to  it,  is  mine.  That  tree  in 
the  middle  is  all  Erica's  work  —  entirely;  but  the 
squirrel  upon  it,  we  never  should  have  thought  of. 
It  was  papa  who  put  that  in  our  heads ;  and  it  is  the 
most  original  thing  in  the  whole  pattern.  Erica  has 
worked  it  beautifully,  to  be  sure." 


40  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

"I  think  we  have  said  quite  enough  about  it,"  ob- 
served Erica,  smiHng  and  bhishing.  "I  hope  M. 
Kollsen  will  accept  it.     The  down  is  Rolf's  present." 

Rolf  rose,  and  made  his  bow,  and  said  he  had  had 
pleasure  in  preparing  his  small  offering. 

"And  I  think,"  said  Erlingsen,  "it  is  pretty  plain  that 
my  little  girls  have  had  pleasure  in  their  part  of  the  work. 
It  is  my  belief  that  they  are  sorry  it  is  so  nearly  done." 

M.  Kollsen  graciously  accepted  the  gift,  —  took  up 
the  coverlid  and  weighed  it  in  his  hand,  in  order  to 
admire  its  lightness,  compared  with  its  handsome  size ; 
and  then  bent  over  the  carvers,  to  see  what  work  was 
under  their  hands. 

"  A  bell-collar,  sir,"  said  Hund,  showing  his  piece  of 
wood.  "I  am  making  a  complete  set  for  our  cows, 
against  they  go  to  the  mountain,  come  summer." 

"A  pulpit,  sir,"  explained  Rolf,  showing  his  work  in 
his  turn. 

"A  pulpit!      Really!     And  who  is  to  preach  in  it?" 

"  You,  sir,  of  course,"  replied  Erlingsen.  "  Long 
before  you  came,  from  the  time  the  new  church  was 
begun,  we  meant  it  should  have  a  handsome  pulpit. 
Six  of  us,  within  a  round  of  twenty  miles,  undertook 
the  six  sides ;  and  Rolf  has  great  hopes  of  having  the 
basement  allotted  to  him  afterwards.  The  best  work- 
man is  to  do  the  basement,  and  I  think  Rolf  bids  fair 
to  be  the  one.     This  is  good  work,  sir." 

"Exquisite,"  said  the  pastor,  "I  question  whether 
our  native  carvers  may  not  be  found  to  be  equal  to  any 
whose  works  we  hear  so  much  of  in  Popish  churches, 
in  other  countries.  And  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  supe- 
riority of  their  subjects.  Look  at  these  elegant  twining 
flowers,  and  that  fine  brooding  eagle !  How  much 
better  to  copy  the  beautiful  works  of  God  that  are 
before  our  eyes,  than  to  make  durable  pictures  of  the 
Popish  idolatries  and  superstitions,  which  should  all 
have  been  forgotten  as  soon  as  possible  !  I  hope  that 
none  of  the  impious  idolatries  which,  I  am  ashamed  to 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  41 

say,  still  linger  among  us,  will  find  their  way  into  the 
arts  by  which  future  generations  will  judge  us." 

The  pastor  stopped,  on  seeing  that  his  hearers  looked 
at  one  another,  as  if  conscious.  A  few  words,  he  judged, 
would  be  better  than  more ;  and  he  went  on  to  Peder, 
passing  by  Oddo  without  a  word  of  notice.  The  party 
had  indeed  glanced  consciously  at  each  other ;  for  it  so 
happened  that  the  very  prettiest  piece  Rolf  had  ever 
carved  was  a  bowl  on  which  he  had  shown  the  water- 
sprite's  hand  (and  never  was  hand  so  delicate  as  the 
water-sprite's)  beckoning  the  heron  to  come  and  fish 
when  the  river  begins  to  flow. 

When  Erica  heard  M.  KoUsen  inquiring  of  Peder 
about  his  old  wife,  she  started  up  from  her  work,  and 
said  she  must  run  and  prepare  UUa  for  the  pastor's 
visit.  Poor  Ulla  would  think  herself  forgotten  this 
morning,  it  was  growing  so  late,  and  nobody  had  been 
over  to  see  her. 

Ulla,  however,  was  far  from  having  any  such  thoughts. 
There  sat  the  old  woman,  propped  up  in  bed,  knitting 
as  fast  as  fingers  could  move,  and  singing,  with  her  soul 
in  her  song,  though  her  voice  was  weak  and  unsteady. 
She  was  covered  with  an  eider-down  quilt,  like  the  first 
lady  in  the  land;  but  this  luxury  was  a  consequence  of 
her  being  old  and  ill,  and  having  friends  who  cared  for 
her  infirmities.  There  was  no  other  luxury.  Her 
window  was  glazed  with  thick  flaky  glass,  through 
which  nothing  could  be  seen  distinctly.  The  shelf,  the 
table,  the  clothes-chest,  were  all  of  rough  fir-wood ; 
and  the  walls  of  the  house  were  of  logs,  well  stuffed 
with  moss  in  all  the  crevices,  to  keep  out  the  cold. 
There  are  no  dwellings  so  warm  in  winter  and  cool  in 
summer  as  well-built  log-houses  ;  and  this  house  had 
everything  essential  to  health  and  comfort:  but  there 
was  nothing  more,  unless  it  was  the  green  sprinkling  of 
the  floor,  and  the  clean  appearance  of  everx'thing  the 
room  contained,  from  Ulla's  cap  to  the  wooden  platters 
on  the  shelf. 


42  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 

"Itaougnt  you  would  come,"  said  UUa.  "I  knew 
you  would  come,  and  take  my  blessing  on  your  be- 
trothment,  and  my  wishes  that  you  may  soon  be  seen 
with  the  golden  crown.*  I  must  not  say  that  I  hope 
to  see  you  crowned,  for  wc  all  know,  —  and  nobody  so 
well  as  I, — that  it  is  I  that  stand  between  you  and  )'our 
crown.     I  often  think  of  it,  my  dear — " 

"Then  I  wish  you  would  not,  Ulla:   you  know  that." 

"  I  do  know  it,  my  dear,  and  I  would  not  be  for  hasten- 
ing God's  appointments.  Let  all  be  in  His  own  time. 
And  I  know,  by  myself,  how  happy  you  may  be,  —  you 
and  Rolf,  —  while  Peder  and  I  are  failing  and  dying.  I 
only  say  that  none  wish  for  your  crowning  more  than 
we.     O  Erica !  you  have  a  fine  lot  in  having  Rolf" 

"  Indeed,  I  know  it,  Ulla." 

"  Do  but  look  about  you,  dear,  and  see  how  he  keeps 
the  house.  And  if  you  were  to  see  him  give  me  my 
cup  of  coffee,  and  watch  over  Peder,  you  would  consider 
what  he  is  likely  to  be  to  a  pretty  young  thing  like  you, 
when  he  is  what  he  is.  to  two  worn-out  old  creatures 
like  us." 

Erica  did  not  need  convincing  about  these  things,  but 
she  liked  to  hear  them. 

"Where  is  he  now?"  asked  Ulla.  "I  always  ask 
where  everybody  is,  at  this  season;  people  go  about 
staring  at  the  snow,  as  if  they  had  no  eyes  to  lose. 
That  is  the  way  my  husband  did.  Do  make  Rolf  take 
care  of  his  precious  eyes.  Erica.  Is  he  abroad  to-day, 
my  dear?  " 

"By  this  time  he  is,"  replied  Erica;  "I  left  him  at 
work  at  the  pulpit — " 

"  Ay !  trying  his  eyes  with  fine  carving,  as  Peder 
did  !  " 

"  But,"  continued  Erica,  "  there  was  news  this 
morning    of  a    lodgement   of   logs    at  the    top    of  the 


*  Peasant  brides  in  Norway  wear,  on  their  wedding-day,  a  coronet  of 
pasteboard,  covered  with  gilt  paper. 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  43 

foss ;  *  and  they  were  all  going,  except  Peder,  to  slide 
them  down  the  gully  to  the  fiord.  The  gully  is  frozen 
so  slippery,  that  the  work  will  not  take  long.  They 
will  make  a  raft  of  the  logs  in  the  fiord,  and  either 
Rolf  or  Hund  will  carry  them  out  to  the  islands  when 
the  tide  ebbs." 

"Will  it  be  Rolf,  do  you  think,  or  Hund,  dear?  " 

"I  wish  it  may  be  Hund.  If  it  be  Rolf,  I  shall  go 
with  him.  O  Ulla !  I  cannot  lose  sight  of  him,  after 
what  happened  last  night.  Did  you  hear?  I  do  wish 
Oddo  would  grow  wiser." 

Ulla  shook  her  head,  and  then  nodded  to  intimate 
that  they  would  not  talk  of  Nipen  ;  and  she  began  to 
speak  of  something  else. 

"  How  did  Hund  conduct  himself  yesterday?  I  heard 
my  husband's  account :  but  you  know  Peder  could  say 
nothing  of  his  looks.  Did  you  mark  his  countenance, 
dear?  " 

"  Indeed,  there  was  no  helping  it,  any  more  than  one 
can  help  watching  a  storm-cloud  as  it  comes  up." 

"So  it  was  dark  and  wrathful,  was  it, — that  ugly 
face  of  his?  Well  it  might  be,  dear;  well  it  might 
be!" 

"  The  worst  was,  —  worse  than  all  his  dark  looks  to- 
gether,—  O  Ulla!  the  worst  was  his  leap  and  cry  of 
joy  when  he  heard  what  Oddo  had  done,  and  that 
Nipen  was  made  our  enemy.  He  looked  like  an  evil 
spirit  when  he  fixed  his  eyes  on  me,  and  snapped  his 
fingers." 

Ulla  shook  her  head  mournfully,  and  then  asked 
Erica  to  put  another  peat  on  the  fire. 

"  I  really  should  like  to  know,"  said  Erica,  in  a  low 
voice,  when  she  resumed  her  seat  on  the  bed,  "  I  am 
sure  you  can  tell  me  if   you  would,  what  is  the  real 


*  Waterfall.  Pine-trunks  felled  in  the  forest  are  drawn  over  the  frozen 
snow  to  the  banks  of  a  river,  or  to  the  top  of  a  waterfall,  whence  they 
may  be  either  slid  down  over  the  ice,  or  left  to  be  carried  down  by  the 
floods,  at  the  melting  of  the  snows  in  the  spring. 


44  FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD. 

truth  about  iTund,  what  it  is  that  weighs  upon  his 
heart." 

"I  will  tell  you,"  replied  Ulla.  "You  are  not  one 
that  will  go  babbling  it,  so  that  Hund  shall  meet  with 
taunts,  and  have  his  sore  heart  made  sorer.  I  will  tell 
you,  my  dear,  though  there  is  no  one  else  but  our  mis- 
tress that  I  would  tell,  and  she,  no  doubt,  knows  it 
already.  Hund  was  born  and  reared  a  good  way  to 
the  south,  not  far  from  Eergen.  In  midwinter  four 
}'ears  since,  his  master  sent  him  on  an  errand  of  twenty 
miles,  to  carry  some  provisions  to  a  village  in  the  upper 
country.  He  did  his  errand,  and  so  far  all  was  well. 
The  village  people  asked  him  for  charity  to  carry  three 
orphan  children  on  his  sledge  some  miles  on  the  way 
to  Bergen,  and  to  leave  them  at  a  house  he  had  to  pass 
on  his  road,  where  they  would  be  taken  care  of  till  they 
could  be  fetched  from  Bergen.  Hund  was  an  obliging 
young  fellow  then,  and  he  made  no  objection.  He 
took  the  little  things,  and  saw  that  the  two  elder  were 
well  wrapped  up  from  the  cold.  The  third  he  took 
within  his  arms  and  on  his  knee  as  he  drove,  clasping 
it  warm  against  his  breast.  So  those  say  who  saw 
them  set  oft";  and  it  is  confirmed  by  one  who  met  the 
sledge  on  the  road,  and  heard  the  children  prattling  to 
Hund,  and  Hund  laughing  merrily  at  their  little  talk. 
Before  they  had  got  half-way,  however,  a  pack  of  hun- 
gry wolves  burst  out  upon  them  from  a  hollow  to  the 
right  of  the  road.  The  brutes  followed  close  at  the 
back  of  the  sledge,  and — " 

"  O,  stop  !  "  cried  Erica  ;  "  I  know  that  story.  Is  it 
possible  that  Hund  is  the  man?  No  need  to  go  on, 
Ulla." 

But  Ulla  thought  there  was  always  need  to  finish  a 
story  that  she  had  begun,  and  she  proceeded. 

"  Closer  and  closer  the  wolves  pressed,  and  it  is  thought 
Hund  saw  one  about  to  spring  at  his  throat.  It  was 
impossible  for  the  horses  to  go  faster  than  they  did,  for 
they  went  like  the  wind  ;    but  so  did  the  beasts.      Hund 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 


45 


^ 


■ — ^j 


L 


jii^y 


r1.  3«^-  C  4  ■**' 


snatched  up  one  of  the  children  behind  him,  and  threw 
it  over  the  back  of  the  sledge,  and  this  stopped  the 
pack  for  a  little.  On  galloped  the  horses,  but  the 
wolves  were  soon  crowding  round  again,  with  the  blood 
freezing  on  their  muzzles.  It  was  easier  to  throw  the 
second  child  than 
the  first,  and 
Hu  nd  did  it. 
It  was  harder  to 
give  up  the  third 
—  the  dumb  in- 
fant that  nestled 
to  his  breast,  but 
Hundwas  in  mor- 
tal terror ;  and  a 
man  beside  him- 
self with  terror 
has  all  the  cru- 
elty of  a  pack  of 
wolves.  Hund 
flung  away  the 
infant,  and  just 
saved  himself. 
Nobody  at  home 
questioned  him, 
for  nobody  knew 
about  the  or- 
phans,   and    he 

did  not  tell.  But  he  was  unsettled  and  looked  wild ; 
and  his  talk,  whenever  he  did  speak,  night  or  day, 
was  of  wolves,  for  the  three  days  that  he  remained 
after  his  return.  Then  there  was  a  questioning  along 
the  road  about  the  orphan  children ;  and  Hund  heard 
of  it,  and  started  off  into  the  woods.  By  putting  things 
together  —  what  Hund  had  dropped  in  his  agony  of 
mind,  and  what  had  been  seen  and  heard  on  the  road — 
the  whole  was  made  out,  and  the  country  rose  to  find 
Hund.      He  was  hunted  like  a  bear  in  the  forest  and  on 


46  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 

the  mountain  ;  but  he  had  got  to  the  coast  in  time,  and 
was  taken  in  a  boat,  it  is  thought,  to  Hammerfest.  At 
any  rate,  he  came  here  as  from  the  north,  and  wishes 
to  pass  for  a  northern  man." 

"  And  does  Erlingsen  know  all  this?  " 

"Yes.  The  same  person  who  told  me  told  him. 
Erlingsen  thinks  he  must  meet  with  mercy,  for  that 
none  need  mercy  so  much  as  the  weak ;  and  Hund's  act 
was  an  act  of  weakness." 

"Weakness  !  "  cried  Erica,  with  disgust. 

"  He  is  a  coward,  m}'  dear ;  and  death  stared  him  in 
the  face." 

"  I  have  often  wondered,"  said  Erica,  "  where  on  the 
face  of  the  earth  that  wretch  was  wandering :  and  it  is 
Hund  !  And  he  wanted  to  live  in  this  very  house," 
she  continued,  looking  round  the  room. 

"And  to  marry  you,  dear.  Erlingsen  would  never 
have  allowed  that.  But  the  thought  has  plunged  the 
poor  fellow  deeper,  instead  of  saving  him,  as  he  hoped. 
He  now  has  envy  and  jealousy  at  his  heart,  besides  the 
remorse  which  he  will  carry  to  his  grave." 

"  And  revenge  !  "  said  Erica,  shuddering.  "  I  tell 
you  he  leaped  for  joy  that  Nipen  was  offended.  Here 
is  some  one  coming,"  she  exclaimed,  starting  from  her 
seat,  as  a  shadow  flitted  over  the  thick  window-pane, 
and  a  hasty  knock  was  heard  at  the  door, 

"  You  are  a  coward,  if  ever  there  was  one,"  said  Ulla 
smiling,  "  Hund  never  comes  here,  so  you  need  not 
look  so  frightened.  What  is  to  be  done  if  you  look  so 
at  dinner,  or  the  next  time  you  meet  him?  It  will  be 
the  ruin  of  some  of  us.  Go,  —  open  the  door,  and  do 
not  keep  the  pastor  waiting." 

There  was  another  knock  before  Jinca  could  reach 
the  door,  and  Erolich  burst  in, 

"Such  news!"  she  cried;  "  }-ou  never  heard  such 
news." 

"  I  wish  there  never  was  any  news,"  exclaimed  Erica, 
almost  pettishl)'. 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  47 

"Good  or  bad?"  inquired  UUa. 

"  O,  bad,  —  very  bad,"  declared  Frolich,  who  yet 
looked  as  if  she  would  rather  have  it  than  none.  "  Here 
is  company.  Olaf,  the  drug-merchant,  is  come. 
Father   did  not    expect  him  these  three  weeks." 

"This  is  not  bad  news,  but  good,"  said  UUa.  "Who 
knows  but  he  may  bring  me  a  cure?  " 

"  We  will  all  beg  him  to  cure  you,  dear  Ulla,"  said 
Frolich,  stroking  the  old  woman's  white  hair  smooth 
upon  her  forehead.  "  But  he  tells  us  shocking  things. 
There  is  a  pirate  vessel  among  the  islands.  She  was 
seen  off  Soroe,  some  time  ago ;  but  she  is  much  nearer 
to  U3  now.  There  was  a  farmhouse  seen  burning  on 
Alteii  fiord,  last  week ;  and  as  the  family  are  all  gone, 
and  nothing  but  ruins  left,  there  is  little  doubt  the 
pirates  lit  the  torch  that  did  it.  And  the  cod  has  been 
carried  ofif  from  the  beach,  in  the  few  places  where  any 
has  been  caught  yet." 

"  They  have  not  found  out  our  fiord  yet?"  inquired 
Ulla. 

"O,  dear!  I  hope  not.  But  they  may,  any  day. 
And  father  says,  the  coast  must  be  raised,  from  Ham- 
merfest  to  Tronyem,  and  a  watch  set  till  this  wicked 
vessel  can  be  taken  or  driven  away.  He  was  going  to 
send  a  running  message  both  ways ;  but  here  is  some- 
thing else  to  bd  done  first." 

"Another  misfortune?"  asked  Erica,  faintly. 

"No:  they  say  it  is  a  piece  of  very  good  fortune; 
—  at  least,  for  those  who  like  bears'  feet  for  dinner. 
Somebody  or  other  has  lighted  upon  the  great  bear 
that  got  away  in  the  summer,  and  poked  her  out  of  her 
den,  on  the  fjelde.  She  is  certainly  abroad,  with  her 
two  last  year's  cubs ;  and  their  traces  have  been  found 
just  above,  near  the  foss.  Olaf  had  heard  of  her  being 
roused ;  and  Rolf  and  Hund  have  found  her  traces. 
Oddo  has  come  running  home  to  tell  us :  and  father 
says  he  must  get  up  a  hunt  before  more  snow  falls, 
and   we  lose  the   tracks,  or  the  family  may   establish 


48  FEATS    ON   TIIK    FMRD. 

themselves   among   us,  and   make  away  with  our  first 
calves." 

"  Does  he  expect  to  kill  them  all?  " 

"  I  tell  you,  we  are  all  to  grow  stout  on  bears'  feet. 
For  my  part,  I  like  bears'  feet  best  on  the  other  side  of 
Tronyem." 

"  You  will  change  your  mind,  Miss  Frolich,  when 
you  see  them  on  the  table,"  observed  Ulla. 

"That  is  just  what  father  said.  And  he  asked  how 
I  thought  Erica  and  Stiorna  would  like  to  have  a  den 
in  their  neighborhood  when  they  go  up  to  the  moun- 
tain for  the  summer.  O,  it  will  be  all  right  when  the 
hunt  is  well  over,  and  all  the  bears  dead.  Meantime, 
I  thought  they  were  at  my  heels  as  I  crossed  the  yard." 

"  And  that  made  you  burst  in  as  you  did.  Did 
Olaf  say  anything  about  coming  to  see  me?  Has  he 
plenty  of  medicines  with  him?  " 

"  O,  certainly.  That  was  the  thing  I  came  to  say. 
He  is  laying  out  his  medicines,  while  he  warms  himself ; 
and  then  he  is  coming  over,  to  see  what  he  can  do  for 
your  poor  head.  He  asked  about  you,  directly;  and 
he  is  frowning  over  his  drugs,  as  if  he  meant  to  let 
them  know  that  they  must  not  trifle  with  you." 

Ulla  was  highly  pleased,  and  gave  her  directions  very 
briskly  about  the  arrangement  of  the  room.  If  it  had 
been  the  grandest  apartment  of  a  palace,  she  could  not 
have  been  more  particular  as  to  where  everything  should 
stand.  When  all  was  to  her  mind,  she  begged  Erica 
to  step  over,  and  inform  Olaf  that  she  was  ready. 

When  Erica  opened  the  door,  she  instantly  drew 
back,  and  shut  it  again. 

"  What  now?  "  asked  Frolich.  "Are  all  the  bears 
in  the  porch?  " 

"  Olaf  is  there,"  replied  Erica,  in  a  whisper,  "talking 
with  Hund." 

"  Hund  wants  a  cure  for  the  headache,"  Frolich 
whispered  in  return  ;  "  or  a  charm  to  make  some  girl 
betroth  herself  to  him  ;  — a  thing  which  no  girl  will  do, 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 


49 


but  under  a  charm  :  for  I  don't  believe  Stiorna  would 
when  it  came  to  the  point,  though  she  likes  to  be 
attended  to." 

When  Olaf  entered,  and  Hund  walked  away,  Frolich 
ran  home,  and  Erica  stood  by  the  window,  ready  to 
receive  the  travelling  doctor's  opinion  and  directions  if 
he  should  vouchsafe  any. 

"  So  I  am  not  the  first  to  consult  you  to-day,"  said 
Ulla.  •'  It  is  rather  hard  that  I  should  not  have  the 
best  chance  of  luck,  having  been  so  long  ill." 

Olaf  assured  her  that  he  would  hear  no  complaints 
from  another  till  he  had  given  her  the  first-fruits  of 
his  wisdom  in  this  district  of  his  rounds.  Hund  was 
only  inquiring  of  him 
where  the  pirate-schooner 
was,  having  slid  down 
from  the  height,  as  fast  as 
hissnow-skaits  would  carry 
him,  on  hearing  the  news 
from  Oddo.  He  was  also 
eager  to  know  whence 
these  pirates  came,  —  what 
nation  they  were  of,  or 
whether  a  crew  gathered 
from  many  nations.  Olaf 
had  advised  Hund  to  go 
and  ask  the  pirates  them- 
selves all  that  he  wanted  to 
know ;  for  there  was  no 
one  else  who  could  satisfy 
him.  Whereupon  Hund 
had  smiled  grimly,  and  gone  back  to  his  work. 

Erica  observed  that  she  had  heard  her  master  say 
that  it  was  foolish  to  boast  that  Norway  need  not  mind 
when  Denmark  went  to  war,  because  it  would  be  carried 
on  far  out  of  sight  and  hearing.  So  far  from  this, 
Erlingsen  had  said,  that  Denmark  never  went  to  war 
but  pirates  came  to  ravage  the  coast,  from   the  North 


50  FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD. 

Cape  to  the  Naze.  Was  not  this  the  case  now?  Den- 
mark had  gone  to  war ;  and  here  were  the  pirates  come 
to  make  her  poor  partner  suffer. 

Olaf  said  this  explained  the  matter :  and  he  feared 
the  business  of  the  coast  would  suffer  till  a  time  of 
peace.  Meanwhile,  he  must  mind  his  business.  When 
he  had  heard  all  Ulla's  complaints,  and  ordered  exactly 
what  she  wished  —  large  doses  of  camphor  and  corn- 
brandy  to  keep  off  the  night-fever  and  daily  cough,  he 
was  ready  to  hear  whatever  else  Erica  had  to  ask, 
for  Ulla  had  hinted  that  Erica  wanted  advice. 

"  I  do  not  mind  Ulla  hearing  my  words,"  said  Erica. 
"  She  knows  my  trouble." 

"  It  is  of  the  mind,"  observed  Olaf,  solemnly,  on  dis- 
covering that  Erica  did  not  desire  to  have  her  pulse 
felt. 

"  Yesterday  was  —  I  was  —  "  Erica  began. 

"  She  was  betrothed  yesterday,"  said  Ulla,  "  to  the 
man  of  her  heart.     Rolf  is  such  a  young  man  —  " 

"Olaf  knows  Rolf,"  observed  Erica.  "An  unfortu- 
nate thing  happened  at  the  end  of  the  day,  Olaf.  Nipen 
was  insulted."  And  she  told  the  story  of  Oddo's  prank, 
and  implored  the  doctor  to  say  if  anything  could  be 
done  to  avert  bad  consequences. 

"  No  doubt,"  replied  Olaf.  "  Look  here  !  This  will 
preserve  you  from  any  particular  evil  that  you  dread." 
And  he  took  from  the  box  he  carried  under  his  arm  a 
round  piece  of  white  paper,  with  a  hole  in  the  middle, 
through  which  a  string  was  to  be  passed,  to  tie  the 
charm  round  the  neck.  r>ica  shook  her  head.  Such 
a  charm  would  be  of  no  use,  as  she  did  not  know  under 
what  particular  shape  of  misfortune  Nipen's  displeasure 
would  show  itself.  Besides,  she  was  certain  that  nothing 
would  make  Rolf  wear  a  charm ;  and  she  disdained 
to  use  any  security  which  he  might  not  share.  Olaf 
could  not  help  her  in  any  other  way ;  but  inquired  with 
sympathy  when  the  next  festival  would  take  place. 
Then,  all  might  be  repaired   by  handsome  treatment  of 


FEATS    ON    THE    FIORD.  5 1 

Nipen.  Till  then,  he  advised  Erica  to  wear  his  charm, 
as  her  lover  could  not  be  the  worse  for  her  being  so  far 
safe.  Erica  blushed ;  she  knew,  but  did  not  say,  that 
harm  would  be  done  which  no  charm  could  repair  if 
her  lover  saw  her  trying  to  save  herself  from  dangers 
to  which  he  remained  exposed  ;  and  she  did  not  know 
what  their  betrothment  was  worth,  if  it  did  not  give 
them  the  privilege  of  suffering  together.  So  she  put 
back  the  charm  into  its  place  in  the  box,  and,  with  a 
sigh,  rose  to  return  to  the  house. 

In  the  porch  she  found  Oddo,  eating  something  which 
caused  him  to  make  faces.  Though  it  was  in  the  open 
air,  there  was  a  strong  smell  of  camphor,  and  of  some- 
thing else  less  pleasant. 

"What  are  you  doing,  Oddo?"  asked  Erica;  the 
question  \v'hich  Oddo  was  asked  every  day  of  his  life. 

Oddo  had  observed  Olaf's  practice  among  his 
patients  of  the  household,  and  perceived  that,  for  all 
complaints,  of  body  or  mind,  he  gave  the  two  things 
camphor  and  assafoetida,  —  sometimes  together,  and 
sometimes  separately ;  and  always  in  corn-brandy, 
Oddo  could  not  refrain  from  trying  what  these  drugs 
were  like ;  so  he  helped  himself  to  some  of  each ;  and, 
as  he  could  get  no  corn-brandy  till  dinner-time,  he  was 
eating  the  medicines  without.  Such  was  the  cause  of 
his  wry  faces.  If  he  had  been  anything  but  a  Norway 
boy,  he  would  have  been  the  invalid  of  the  house  to-day, 
from  the  quantity  of  rich  cake  he  had  eaten  ;  but  Oddo 
seemed  to  share  the  privilege,  common  to  Norwegians, 
of  being  able  to  eat  anything,  in  any  quantity,  without 
injury.  His  wry  faces  were  from  no  indigestion,  but 
from  the  savor  of  assafoetida,  unrelieved  by  brandy. 

Wooden  dwellings  resound  so  much  as  to  be  incon- 
venient for  those  who  have  secrets  to  tell.  In  the 
porch  of  Peder's  house,  Oddo  had  heard  all  that 
passed  within.  It  was  good  for  him  to  have  done  so. 
He  became  more  sensible  of  the  pain  he  had  given, 
and  more  anxious  to  repair  it. 


52  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 

"  Dear  Erica,"  said  he,  "  I  want  you  to  do  a  very- 
kind  thing  for  me.  Do  get  leave  for  me  to  go  with 
Rolf  after  the  bears.  If  I  get  one  stroke  at  them,  — if 
I  can  but  wound  one  of  them,  I  shall  have  a  paw  for 
my  share :  and  I  will  lay  it  out  for  Nipen.  You  will, 
will  you  not?  " 

"  It  must  be  as  Erlingsen  chooses,  Oddo ;  but  I  fancy 
you  will  not  be  allowed  to  go  just  now.  The  bears  will 
think  the  doctor's  physic-sledge  is  coming  through  the 
woods,  and  they  will  be  shy.  Do  stand  a  little  farther 
off.      I  cannot  think  how  it  is  that  you  are  not  choked." 

"  Suppose  you  go  for  an  airing,"  said  the  doctor, 
who  now  joined  them.  "  If  you  must  not  go  in  the 
way  of  the  bears,  there  is  a  reindeer  —  " 

"  O,  where?  "  cried  Oddo. 

"I  saw  one,  —  all  alone,  —  on  the  Salten  heights. 
If  you  run  that  way,  with  the  wind  behind  you,  the 
deer  will  give  you  a  good  run;  — up  Sulitelma,  if  you 
like,  and  you  will  have  got  rid  of  the  camphor 
before  you  come  back.  And  be  sure  you  bring  mc 
some  Iceland  moss,  to  pay  me  for  what  }'Ou  hax^e  been 
helping  yourself  to." 

When  Oddo  had  convinced  himself  that  Olaf  really 
had  seen  a  reindeer  on  the  heights,  three  miles  off,  he 
said  to  himself,  that  if  deer  do  not  like  camphor,  they 
are  fond  of  salt ;  and  he  was  presently  at  the  salt  box, 
and  then  quickly  on  his  way  to  the  hills  with  his  bait. 
He  considered  his  chance  of  training  home  the  deer 
much  more  probable  than  that  I<>lingsen  and  his  grand- 
father would  allow  him  to  hunt  the  bears;  and  he 
doubtless  judged  rightly. 


FEATS    0\   THE    FIORD.  53 

CHAPTER  IV. 

ROVING  HERE  AND  ROVING  THERE. 

The  establishment  was  now  in  a  great  hurry  and 
bustle  for  an  hour,  after  which  time  it  promised  to  be 
unusually  quiet. 

M.  Kollsen  began  to  be  anxious  to  be  on  the  other 
side  of  the  fiord.  It  was  rather  inconvenient,  as  the 
two  men  were  wanted  to  go  in  different  directions, 
while  their  master  took  a  third,  to  rouse  the  farmers  for 
the  bear-hunt.  The  hunters  were  all  to  arrive  before 
night  within  a  certain  distance  of  the  thickets  where 
the  bears  were  now  believed  to  be.  On  calm  nights  it 
was  no  great  hardship  to  spend  the  dark  hours  in  the 
bivouac  of  the  country.  Each  part}'  was  to  shelter 
itself  under  a  bank  of  snow,  or  in  a  pit  dug  out  of  it, 
an  enormous  fire  blazing  in  the  midst,  and  brandy  and 
tobacco  being  plentifully  distributed  on  such  occasions. 
Early  in  the  morning  the  director  of  the  hunt  was  to  go 
his  rounds,  and  arrange  the  hunters  in  a  ring  enclosing 
the  hiding-place  of  the  bears,  so  that  all  might  be  pre- 
pared, and  no  waste  made  of  the  few  hours  of  daylight 
which  the  season  afforded.  As  soon  as  it  was  light 
enough  to  see  distinctly  among  the  trees,  or  bushes,  or 
holes  of  the  rocks  where  the  bears  might  be  couched, 
they  were  to  be  driven  from  their  retreat,  and  disposed 
of  as  quickly  as  possible.  Such  was  the  plan,  well 
understood,  in  such  cases  throughout  the  country.  On 
the  present  occasion  it  might  be  expected  that  the 
peasantry  would  be  ready  at  the  first  summons,  as  Olaf 
had  told  his  story  of  the  bears  all  along  the  road.  Yet, 
the  more  messengers  and  helpers  the  better ;  and 
Erlingsen  was  rather  vexed  to  see  Hund  go  with 
alacrity  to    unmoor  the    boat,  and    offer    officiously  to 


54  FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD. 

row  the  pastor  across  the  fiord.  His  daughters  knew 
what  he  was  thinking  about,  and  after  a  moment's  con- 
sultation, Frolich  asked  whether  she  and  the  maid 
Stiorna  might  not  be  the  rowers. 

Nobody  would  have  objected  if  Hund  had  not.  The 
girls  could  row,  though  they  could  not  hunt  bears  ;  and 
the  weather  was  fair  enough ;  but  Hund  shook  his 
head,  and  went  on  preparing  the  boat.  His  master 
spoke  to  him,  but  Hund  was  not  remarkable  for  giving 
up  his  own  way.  He  would  only  say  that  there  would 
be  plenty  of  time  for  both  affairs,  and  that  he  could 
follow  the  hunt  when  he  returned,  and  across  the  lake 
he  went. 

Erlingsen  and  Rolf  presently  departed,  accompanied 
by  Olaf,  who  was  glad  of  an  escort  for  a  few  miles, 
though  nothing  was  further  from  his  intention  than 
going  near  the  bears.  The  women  and  Peder  were 
thus  left  behind. 

They  occupied  themselves  to  keep  away  anxious 
thoughts.  One  began  some  new  nets,  for  the  approach- 
ing fishing  season ;  another  sat  in  the  loom,  and  the 
girls  appealed  to  their  mother  very  frequently,  about 
the  beauties  of  a  new  quilting  pattern  they  were  draw- 
ing. Old  Peder  sang  to  them  too ;  but  Peder's  songs 
were  rather  melancholy,  and  they  had  not  the  effect  of 
cheering  the  party.  Hour  after  hour  they  looked  for 
Hund.  His  news  of  his  voyage,  and  the  sending  him 
after  his  master,  would  be  something  to  do  and  to  think 
of;  but  Hund  did  not  come.  Stiorna  at  last  let  fall 
that  she  did  not  think  he  would  come  yet,  for  that  he 
meant  to  catch  some  cod  before  his  return  ;  he  had  taken 
tackle  with  him  for  that  purpose,  she  knew,  and 
she  should  not  wonder  if  he  did  not  appear  till  the 
morning. 

Every  one  was  surprised,  and  Madame  Erlingsen 
highly  displeased.  At  the  time  when  her  husband 
would  be  wanting  every  strong  arm  that  could  be 
mustered,  his  servant  chose  to  be  out  fishing,   instead 


FEATS    ON    THE    FIORD,  55 

of  obeying  orders.  The  girls  pronounced  him  a 
coward,  and  Peder  observed  that  to  a  coward,  as  well  as 
a  sluggard,  there  was  ever  a  lion  in  the  path.  Erica 
doubted  w^iether  this  act  of  disobedience  arose  from 
cowardice,  for  there  were  dangers  in  the  fiord,  for  such 
as  went  out  as  far  as  the  cod.  She  supposed  Hund  had 
heard  — 

She  stopped  short  as  a  sudden  flash  of  suspicion 
crossed  her  mind.  She  had  seen  Hund  inquiring  of 
Olaf  about  the  pirates,  and  his  strange  obstinacy  about 
this  day's  boating  looked  much  as  if  he  meant  to  learn 
more. 

"  Danger  in  the  fiord  !  "  repeated  Orga.  "Oh,  you 
mean  the  pirates ;  they  are  far  enough  from  our  fiord, 
I  suppose.  If  ever  they  do  come,  I  wish  they  would 
catch  Hund,  and  carry  him  off.  I  am  sure  we  could 
spare  them  nothing  they  would  be  so  welcome  to." 

Madame  Erlingsen  saw  that  Erica  was  turning  red  and 
white,  and  resolved  to  ask,  on  the  first  good  opportunity, 
what  was  in  her  mind  about  Hund,  for  no  one  was  more 
disposed  to  distrust  and  watch  him  than  the  lady  her- 
self 

The  first  piece  of  amusement  that  occurred  was  the 
return  of  Oddo,  who  passed  the  windows,  followed  at  a 
short  distance  by  a  wistful-looking  deer,  which  seemed 
afraid  to  come  quite  up  to  him,  but  kept  its  branched 
head  outstretched  toward  the  salt  which  Oddo  displayed, 
dropping  a  few  grains  from  time  to  time.  At  the  sight 
all  crowded  to  the  windows  but  Frolich,  who  left  the 
room  on  the  instant.  Before  the  animal  had  passed 
the  servants'  house  (a  separate  dwelling  in  the  yard) 
she  appeared  in  the  gallery  which  ran  round  the  out- 
side of  it,  and  showed  to  Oddo  a  cord  which  she  held ; 
he  nodded,  and  threw  down  some  salt  on  the  snow  im- 
mediately below  where  she  stood.  The  reindeer  stooped 
its  head,  instead  of  looking  out  for  enemies  above,  and 
thus  gave  Frolich  a  good  opportunity  to  throw  her 
cord  over  its  antlers.     She  had  previously  wound  one 


56  FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD. 

end  round  the  balustrade  of  the  gallery,  so  that  she  had 
not  with  her  single  strength  to  sustain  the  animal's 
struggles. 

The  poor  animal  struggled  violently  when  it  found  its 
head  no  longer  at  liberty,  and,  by  throwing  out  its  legs, 
gave  Oddo  an  opportunity  to  catch  and  fasten  it  by  the 
hind  leg,  so  as  to  decide  its  fate  completely.  It  could  now 
only  start  from  side  to  side,  and  threaten  with  its  head 
when  the  household  gathered  round  to  congratulate  Oddo 
and  Frolich  on  the  success  of  their  hunting.  The 
women  durst  only  hastily  stroke  the  palpitating  sides  of 
the  poor  beast;  but,  Peder,  who  had  handled  many 
scores  in  his  lifetime,  boldly  seized  its  head  and  felt  its 
horns  and  the  bones  from  whence  they  grew,  to  ascer- 
tain its  age. 

"  Do  you  fancy  you  have  made  a  prize  of  a  wild  deer, 
boy?"  he  asked  of  his  grandson. 

"To  be  sure,"  said  Oddo. 

"  I  thought  }'ou  had  had  more  curiosity  than  to  take 
such  a  thing  for  granted,  Oddo.  See  here  !  Is  not 
this  ear  slit?  " 

"Why,  yes,"  Oddo  admitted  ;  "  but  it  is  not  a  slit  of 
this  year  or  last.  It  may  have  belonged  to  the  Lapps 
once  upon  a  time ;  but  it  has  been  wild  for  so  long 
that  it  is  all  the  same  as  if  it  had  never  been  in  a  fold. 
It  will  never  be  claimed." 

"  I  am  of  your  opinion  there,  boy.  I  wish  }'ou  joy 
of  }'our  sport." 

"  You  may :  for  I  doubt  whether  an)-body  will  do 
better  to-day.  Hund  will  not,  for  one,  if  it  is  he  who 
has  gone  out  with  the  boat ;  and  I  think  I  cannot  be 
mistaken  in  the  handling  of  his  oar." 

"  Have  you  seen  him?  Where?  What  is  he  doing?  " 
asked  one  and  another. 

Before  Oddo  could  answer,  Madame  Erlingsen  desired 
that  he  would  go  home  with  his  grandfather,  and  tell 
Ulla  about  the  deer,  while  he  warmed  himself.  She 
did  not  wish  her  daughters  to  hear  what  he  might  have 


FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD.  57 

to  tell  of  Hund.  Stiorna,  too,  was  better  out  of  the 
way.  Oddo  had  not  half  told  the  story  of  the  deer  to 
his  grandmother,  when  his  mistress  and  Erica  entered. 

"  Did  you  not  see  M.  Kollsen  in  the  boat  with 
Hund?"  she  inquired. 

"  No.  Hund  was  quite  alone,  pulling  with  all  his 
might  down  the  fiord.  The  tide  was  with  him,  so  that 
he  shot  along  like  a  fish." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  it  was  Hund  you  saw?" 

"Don't  I  know  our  boat?  And  don't  I  know  his 
pull?  It  is  no  more  like  Rolf's  than  Rolf's  is  like 
master's." 

"  Perhaps  he  was  making  for  the  best  fishing-ground 
as  fast  as  he  could." 

"  We  shall  see  that  by  the  fish  he  brings  home." 

"True.     By  supper-time  we  shall  know." 

"  Hund  will  not  be  home  by  supper-time,"  said  Oddo, 
decidedly. 

"  Why  not?     Come,  say  out  what  you  mean." 

"  Well,  I  will  tell  you  what  I  saw.  I  watched  him 
rowing  as  fast  as  his  arm  and  the  tide  would  carry  him. 
It  was  so  plain  that  there  was  a  plan  in  his  head,  that  I 
forgot  the  deer  in  watching  him  ;  and  I  followed  on 
from  point  to  point,  catching  a  sight  now  and  then,  till 
I  had  gone  a  good  stretch  beyond  Salten  heights.  I 
was  just  going  to  turn  back  when  I  took  one  more 
look,  and  he  was  then  pulling  in  for  the  land." 

"  On  the  north  shore  or  south?  "  asked  Peder. 

"The  north  —  just  at  the  narrow  part  of  the  fiord, 
where  one  can  see  into  the  holes  of  the  rocks  opposite." 

"The  fiord  takes  a  wide  sweep  below  there,"  observed 
Peder. 

"Yes;  and  that  was  why  he  landed,"  replied  Oddo. 
"He  was  then  but  a  little  way  from  the  fishing  ground, 
if  he  had  wanted  fish.  But  he  drove  up  the  boat  into 
a  little  cove,  a  narrow  dark  creek,  where  it  will  lie  safe 
enough,  I  have  no  doubt,  till  he  comes  back ;  if  he 
means  to  come  back." 


58  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

"Why,  where  should  he  go?  What  should  he  do 
but  come  back?"  asked  Madame  Erlingscn. 

"  He  is  now  gone  over  the  ridge  to  the  north.  I  saw 
him  moor  the  boat,  and  begin  to  climb ;  and  I  watched 
his  dark  figure  on  the  white  snow,  higher  and  higher, 
till  it  was  a  speck,  and  I  could  not  make  it  out." 

"That  is  the  way  you  will  lose  your  eyes,"  exclaimed 
Ulla.  "How  often  have  I  warned  you,  —  and  many 
others  as  giddy  as  you  !  When  you  have  lost  your 
eyes,  you  will  think  you  had  better  have  minded  my 
advice,  and  not  have  stared  at  the  snow  after  a  runaway 
that  is  better  there  than  here." 

"What  do  you  think  of  this  story,  Peder?"  asked  his 
mistress. 

"  I  think  Hund  has  taken  a  short  cut  over  the  prom- 
ontory, on  business  of  his  own  at  the  islands.  He  is 
not  on  any  business  of  yours,  depend  upon  it,  madam." 

"  And  what  business  can  he  have  among  the  islands  ?  " 

"  I  could  say  that  with  more  certainty  if  I  knew  ex- 
actly where  the  pirate  vessel  is." 

"  That  is  your  idea.  Erica,"  said  her  mistress.  "  I 
saw  what  your  thoughts  were,  an  hour  ago,  before  we 
knew  all  this." 

"  I  was  thinking  then,  madam,  that  if  Hund  was  gone 
to  join  the  pirates,  Nipen  would  be  very  ready  to  give 
them  a  wind  just  now.  A  baffling  wind  would  be  our 
only  defence ;  and  we  cannot  expect  that  much  from 
Nipen  to-day." 

"  I  will  do  anything  in  the  world,"  cried  Oddo,  eagerly. 
"  Send  me  anywhere.  Do  think  of  something  that  I  can 
do." 

"What  must  be  done,  Peder?"  asked  his  mistress. 
There  is  quite  enough  to  fear,  Erica,  without  a  word  of 
Nipen.  Pirates  on  the  coast,  and  one  farmhouse  seen 
burning  already  !  " 

"I  will  tell  you  what  you  must  let  me  do,  madam," 
said  Erica.  "  Indeed  you  must  not  oppose  me.  My 
mind  is  quite  set  upon  going  for  the  boat, —  immediately 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  59 

—  this  very  minute.  That  will  give  us  time  —  it  will 
give  us  safety  for  this  night.  Hund  might  bring  seven 
or  eight  men  upon  us  over  the  promontory;  but  if 
they  find  no  boat,  I  think  they  can  hardly  work  up  the 
windings  of  the  fiord  in  their  own  vessel  to-night;  — 
unless,  indeed,"  she  added,  with  a  sigh,  "they  have  a 
most  favorable  wind." 

"  All  this  is  true  enough,"  said  her  mistress  ;  "  but 
how  will  you  go?     Will  you  swim?  " 

"The  raft,  madam." 

"  And  there  is  the  old  skiff  on  Thor  Islet,"  said  Oddo. 
"  It  is  a  rickety  little  thing,  hardly  big  enough  for  two  ; 
but  it  will  carry  down  Erica  and  me,  if  we  go  before 
the  tide  turns." 

"But  how  will  you  get  to  Thor  islet?"  inquired 
Madame  Erlingsen.  "I  wish  the  scheme  were  not  such 
a  wild  one." 

"A  wild  one  must  serve  at  such  a  time,  madam," 
replied  Erica.  "  Rolf  had  lashed  several  logs  before 
he  went.  I  am  sure  we  can  get  over  to  the  islet.  See, 
madam,  the  fiord  is  as  smooth  as  a  pond." 

"  Let  her  go,"  said  Peder.      "  She  will  never  repent." 

"Then  come  back,  I  charge  you,  if  you  find  the 
least  danger,"  said  her  mistress.  "  No  one  is  safer  at 
the  oar  than  you  ;  but  if  there  is  a  ripple  in  the  water, 
or  a  gust  on  the  heights,  or  a  cloud  in  the  sky,  come 
back.     Such  is  my  command.  Erica." 

"Wife,"  said  Peder,  "give  her  your  pelisse;  that 
will  save  her  seeing  the  girls  before  she  goes.  And  she 
shall  have  my  cap,  and  then  there  is  not  an  eye  along 
the  fiord  that  can  tell  whether  she  is  man  or  woman." 

Ulla  lent  her  deerskin  pelisse  willingly  enough;  but 
she  entreated  that  Oddo  might  be  kept  at  home.  She 
folded  her  arms  about  the  boy  with  tears  ;  but  Peder 
decided  the  matter  with  the  words,  "  Let  him  go ;  it  is 
the  least  he  can  do  to  make  up  for  last  night.  Equip, 
Oddo." 

Oddo  equipped  willingly  enough.     In  two  minutes  he 


60  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 

and  his  companion  looked  like  two  walking  bundles  of 
fur.  Oddo  carried  a  frail  basket,  containing  rye-bread, 
salt  fish,  and  a  flask  of  corn-brandy;  for  in  Norway 
no  one  goes  on  the  shortest  expedition  without  carrying 
provisions. 

"  Surely  it  must  be  dusk  by  this  time,"  said  Pcder. 

It  was  dusk;  and  this  was  well,  as  the  pair  could 
steal  down  to  the  shore  without  being  perceived  from 
the  house.  Madame  Erlingsen  gave  them  her  blessing, 
saying  that  if  the  enterprise  saved  them  from  nothing 
worse  than  Hund's  company  this  night,  it  would  be  a 
great  good.  There  could  be  no  more  comfort  in  having 
Hund  for  an  inmate ;  for  some  improper  secret  he  cer- 
tainly had.  Her  hope  was  that,  finding  the  boat  gone, 
he  would  never  show  himself  again. 

"  One  would  think,"  continued  the  lady,  when  she 
returned  from  watching  Erica  and  Oddo  disappear  in 
the  dusk, —  "one  would  think  Erica  had  never  known 
fear.  Her  step  is  as  firm  and  her  eye  as  clear  as  if  she 
had  never  trembled  in  the  course  of  her  life." 

"  She  knows  how  to  act  to-night,"  said  Peder;  "  and 
she  is  going  into  danger  for  her  lover,  instead  of  waiting 
at  home  while  her  lover  goes  into  danger  for  her.  A 
hundred  pirates  in  the  fiord  would  not  make  her  tremble 
as  she  trembled  last  night.  Rather  a  hundred  pirates 
than  Nipcn  angry,  she  would  say." 

"There  is  her  weakness,"  observed  her  mistress. 

"  Can  we  speak  of  weakness  after  what  we  have  just 
seen  —  if  I  may  say  so,  madam?  " 

"  I  think  so,"  replied  Madame  Erlingsen.  "  I  think 
it  a  weakness  in  those  who  believe  that  a  just  and  tender 
Pro\'idence  watches  over  us  all,  to  fear  what  any  power 
in  the  universe  can  do  to  them." 

"M.  Kollsen  does  not  make  progress  in  teaching  the 
people  what  you  say,  madam.  He  only  gets  distrusted 
by  it." 

"  When  M.  Kollsen  has  had  more  experience,  he  will 
find    that  this  is  not  a  matter  for  displeasure.      He  will 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  6l 

not  succeed  while  he  is  displeased  at  what  his  people 
think  sacred.  When  he  is  an  older  man,  he  will  pity 
the  innocent  for  what  they  suffer  from  superstition  ;  and 
this  pity  will  teach  him  how  to  speak  of  Providence  to 
such  as  our  Erica.  But  here  are  my  girls  coming  to 
seek  me.  I  must  meet  them,  to  prevent  their  missing 
Erica." 

"  Get  them  to  rest  early,  madam." 

"  Certainly ;    and  you  will  watch  in  this  house,  Peder, 
and  I  at  home." 

"Trust    me   for    hearing   the    oar    at    a  furlong   off, 
madam." 

"That   is  more  than  I  can  promise,"  said  the  lady; 
"  but  the  owl  shall  not  be  more  awake  than  I." 


62  FEATS    UN    THE    EKJRD. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    WATER    SPRITE'S    DOINGS. 

Erica  now  profited  b\'  her  lover's  industr}'  in  the 
morning.  He  had  so  far  advanced  with  the  raft  that, 
though  no  one  would  have  thought  of  taking  it  in  its 
present  state  to  the  mouth  of  the  fiord  for  shipment, 
it  would  serve  as  a  conveyance  in  still  water  for  a  short 
distance  safely  enough. 

And  still,  indeed,  the  waters  were.  As  Erica  and 
Oddo  were  busily  and  silentl}-  emplo}'ed  in  tying  moss 
round  their  oars  to  muffle  their  sound,  the  ripple  of  the 
tide  upon  the  white  sand  could  scarcely  be  heard,  and 
it  appeared  to  the  eye  as  if  the  lingering  remains  of  the 
daylight  brooded  on  the  fiord,  unwilling  to  depart. 
The  stars  had,  however,  been  showing  themselves  for 
some  time ;  and  they  might  now  be  seen  twinkling 
below  almost  as  clcarl}^  and  steadily  as  overhead.  As 
Erica  and  Oddo  put  their  little  raft  off  from  the  shore, 
and  then  waited,  with  their  oars  suspended,  to  observe 
whether  the  tide  carried  them  towards  the  islet  they 
must  reach,  it  seemed  as  if  some  invisible  hand  was 
pushing  them  forth  to  shiver  the  bright  pavement  of 
constellations  as  it  lay.  Star  after  star  was  shivered, 
and  its  bright  fragments  danced  in  their  wake ;  and 
those  fragments  reunited  and  became  a  star  again  as  the 
waters  closed  over  the  path  of  the  raft,  and  subsided 
into  perfect  stillness. 

The  tide  favored  Erica's  object.  A  few  strokes  of 
the  oar  brought  the  raft  to  the  right  point  for  landing 
on  the  islet.  They  stepped  ashore,  and  towed  the  raft 
along  till  they  came  to  the  skirt",  and  then  they  fastened 
the  raft  with  the  boat-hook  which  had  been  fixed  there 
for  the  skiff.     This  done,   Oddo  ran  to   turn  over  the 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD.  63 

little  boat,  and  examine  its  condition  ;  but  he  found  he 
could  not  move  it.  It  was  frozen  fast  to  the  ground. 
It  was  scarcely  possible  to  get  a  firm  hold  of  it,  it  was 
so  slippery  with  ice ;  and  all  pulling  and  pushing  of 
the  two  together  was  in  vain,  though  the  boat  was  so 
light  that  either  of  them  could  have  lifted  and  carried  it 
in  a  time  of  thaw. 

This  circumstance  caused  a  good  deal  of  delay :  and, 
what  was  worse,  it  obliged  them  to  make  some  noise. 
They  struck  at  the  ice  with  sharp  stones ;  but  it  was 
long  before  they  could  make  any  visible  impression ; 
and  Erica  proposed,  again  and  again,  that  they  should 
proceed  on  the  raft.  Oddo  was  unwilling.  The  skiff 
would  go  so  incomparably  faster,  that  it  was  worth 
spending  some  time  upon  it :  and  the  fears  he  had  had 
of  its  leaking  were  removed,  now  that  he  found  what  a 
sheet  of  ice  it  was  covered  with,  —  ice  which  would 
not  melt  to  admit  a  drop  of  water  while  they  were  in 
it.  So  he  knocked  and  knocked  away,  wishing  that 
the  echoes  v.'ould  be  quiet  for  once,  and  then  laughing 
as  he  imagined  the  ghost-stories  that  would  spring  up 
all  round  the  fiord  to-morrow,  from  the  noise  he  was 
then  making. 

Erica  worked  hard  too ;  and  one  advantage  of  their 
labor  was  that  they  were  well  warmed  before  they  put 
off  again.  The  boat's  icy  fastenings  were  all  broken 
at  last,  and  it  was  launched :  but  all  was  not  ready 
yet.  The  skiff  had  lain  in  a  direction  east  and  west; 
and  its  north  side  had  so  much  thicker  a  coating  of  ice 
than  the  other,  that  its  balance  was  destroyed.  It 
hung  so  low  on  one  side  as  to  promise  to  upset  with  a 
touch. 

"  We  must  clear  off  more  of  the  ice,"  said  Erica. 
"  But  how  late  it  is  growing !  " 

"  No  more  knocking,  I  say,"  replied  Oddo.  "  There 
is  a  quieter  way  of  trimming  the  boat." 

He  fastened  a  few  stones  to  the  gunwale  on  the 
lighter  side,  and  took  in  a  few  more  for  the  purpose  of 


64 


FEATS    OX   THE   FIORD. 


shifting  the  weight,   if  neccssar}',  while  they  were    on 
their  way. 

They  did  not  leave  quiet  behind  them,  when  they 
departed.  They  had  roused  the  multitude  of  eider- 
ducks,  and  other 
sea-fowl,  whi  ch 
thronged  the  islet, 
and  which  now, 
being  roused,  be- 
gan their  night- 
feeding  and  flying, 
though  at  an  ear- 
lier hour  than  us- 
ual. When  their 
discordant  cries 
were  left  so  far 
behind  as  to  be 
softened  by  dis- 
tance, the  flap- 
ping of  wings  and 
swash  of  water,  as 
the  fowl  plunged 
in,  still  made  the 
air  busy  all  round. 
The  rowers  were 
so  occupied  with  the  management  of  their  dangerous 
craft,  that  they  had  not  spoken  since  they  left  the 
islet.  The  skiff  would  have  been  unmanageable  by 
any  maiden  and  boy  in  our  country ;  but,  on  the  coast 
of  Norway,  it  is  as  natural  to  persons  of  all  ages  and 
degrees  to  guide  a  boat  as  to  walk.  Swiftly  but  cau- 
tiously they  shot  through  the  water,  till,  at  length, 
Oddo  uttered  a  most  hideous  croak. 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  asked  Erica,  hastily  glancing 
round  her. 

Oddo  laughed,  and  looked  upwards  as  he  croaked 
again.  He  was  answered  by  a  similar  croak,  and  a 
large  raven  was  seen  flying  homewards  over  the    fiord 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD.  65 

for  the  night.     Then  the  echoes  all  croaked,   till    the 
whole  region  seemed  to  be  full  of  ravens. 

"Are  you  sure  you  know  the  cove?"  asked  Erica, 
who  wished  to  put  an  end  to  this  sound,  unwelcome  to 
the  superstitious.  *'  Do  not  make  that  bird  croak  so  ; 
it  will  be  quiet  if  you  let  it  alone.  Are  you  sure  you 
can  find  the  cove  again?  " 

"  Quite  sure.  I  wish  I  was  as  sure  that  Hund  would 
not  find  it  again  before  me.      Pull  away." 

•'  How  much  farther  is  it?  " 

"  Farther  than  I  like  to  think  of.  I  doubt  your  arm 
holding  out.      I  wish  Rolf  was  here." 

Erica  did  not  wish  the  same  thing.  She  thought 
that  Rolf  was,  on  the  whole,  safer  waging  war  with 
bears  than  with  pirates;  especially  if  Hund  was  among 
them.  She  pulled  her  oar  cheerfully,  observing  that 
there  was  no  fatigue  at  present ;  and  that  when  they 
were  once  afloat  in  the  heavier  boat,  and  had  cleared 
the  cove,  there  need  be  no  hurry,  —  unless,  indeed,  they 
should  see  something  of  the  pirate-schooner  on  the 
way:  and  of  this  she  had  no  expectation,  as  the  booty 
that  might  be  had  where  the  fishery  was  beginning  was 
worth  more  than  anything  that  could  be  found  higher 
up  the  fiords: — to  say  nothing  of  the  danger  of  run- 
ning up  into  the  country,  so  far  as  that  getting  away 
again  depended  upon  one  particular  wind. 

Yet  Erica  looked  behind  her  after  every  few  strokes  of 
her  oar ;  and  once,  when  she  saw  something,  her  start 
was  felt  like  a  start  of  the  skiff  itself.  There  was  a  fire 
glancing  and  gleaming  and  quivering  over  the  water, 
some  way  down  the  fiord. 

"  Some  people  night-fishing,"  observed  Oddo.  "  What 
sport  they  will  have  !  I  wish  I  was  with  them.  How 
fast  we  go  !  How  you  can  row  when  you  choose  ! 
I  can  see  the  man  that  is  holding  the  torch.  Cannot 
you  see  his  black  figure?  And  the  spearman,  —  see 
how  he  stands  at  the  bow,  —  now  going  to  cast  his 
spear !      I  wish  I  was  there." 


66    '  PTATS    ox   THE    FIORD. 

"  W'c  must  get  farther  a\va\-, —  into  the  shadow 
somewhere,  —  or  wait,"  observed  Erica.  "I  had  rather 
not  wait, —  it  is  growing  so  late.  \Vc  might  creep 
along  under  that  promontory,  in  the  shadow,  if  you 
would  be  quiet.  I  wonder  whether  )'ou  can  be  silent 
in  the  sight  of  night-fishing." 

"To  be  sure,"  said  Oddo,  disposed  to  be  angry,  and 
only  kept  from  it  by  the  thought  of  last  night.  He 
helped  to  bring  the  skiff  into  the  shadow  of  the  over- 
hanging rocks,  and  only  spoke  once  more,  to  whisper 
that  the  fishing-boat  was  drifting  down  with  the  tide, 
and  that  he  thought  their  cove  lay  between  them  and 
the  fishing-party. 

It  was  so.  As  the  skiff  rounded  the  point  of  the 
promontory,  Oddo  pointed  out  what  appeared  like  a 
mere  dark  chasm  in  the  high  perpendicular  wall  of 
rock  that  bounded  the  waters.  This  chasm  still  looked 
so  narrow,  on  approaching  it,  that  Erica  hesitated  to 
push  her  skiff  into  it,  till  certain  that  there  was  no  one 
there.  Oddo,  however,  was  so  clear  that  she  might 
safely  do  this,  so  noiseless  was  their  rowing,  and  it  was 
so  plain  that  there  was  no  footing  on  the  rocks  by 
which  he  might  enter  to  explore,  that  in  a  sort  of  des- 
peration, and  seeing  nothing  else  to  be  done.  Erica 
agreed.  She  wished  it  had  been  summer,  when  cither 
of  them  might  have  learned  what  they  wanted  by  swim- 
ming. This  was  now  out  of  the  question  ;  and  stealthily 
therefore  she  pulled  her  little  craft  into  the  deepest 
shadow,  and  crept  into  the  cove. 

At  a  little  distance  from  the  entrance  it  widened  ;  but 
it  was  a  wonder  to  Erica  that  even  Oddo's  eyes  should 
have  seen  Hund  moor  his  boat  here  from  the  other  side 
of  the  fiord  ;  though  the  fiord  was  not  more  than  a  gun- 
shot over  in  this  part.  Oddo  himself  wondered,  till  he 
recalled  how  the  sun  was  shining  down  into  the  chasm 
at  the  time.  By  starlight  the  outline  of  all  that  the 
cove  contained  might  be  seen  ;  the  outline  of  the  boat, 
among  other  things.     There  she  lay  !      l^ut  there  was 


FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD.  6/ 

something    about  her  which  was    unpleasant    enough. 
There  were  three  men  in  her. 

What  was  to  be  done  now?  Here  was  the  very- 
worst  danger  that  Erica  had  feared  —  worse  than  find- 
ing the  boat  gone — worse  than  meeting  it  in  the  wide 
fiord.     What  was  to  be  done? 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  do  nothing  —  to  he 
perfectly  still  in  the  shadow,  ready,  however,  to  push 
out  on  the  first  movement  of  the  boat  to  leave  the 
cove ;  for,  though  the  canoe  might  remain  unnoticed 
at  present,  it  was  impossible  that  anybody  could  pass 
out  of  the  cove  without  seeing  her.  In  such  a  case, 
there  would  be  nothing  for  it  but  a  race  —  a  race  for 
which  Erica  and  Oddo  held  themselves  prepared, 
without  any  mutual  explanation  ;  for  they  dared  not 
speak.  The  faintest  whisper  would  have  crept  over 
the  smooth  water  to  the  ears  in  the  larger  boat. 

One  thing  was  certain  —  that  something  must  happen 
presently.  It  is  impossible  for  the  hardiest  men  to  sit 
inactive  in  a  boat  for  any  length  of  time  in  a  January 
night  in  Norway.  In  the  calmest  nights  the  cold  is 
only  to  be  sustained  by  means  of  the  glow  from  strong 
exercise.  It  was  certain  that  these  three  men  could 
not  have  been  long  in  their  places,  and  that  they  would 
not  sit  many  moments  more  without  some  change  in 
their  arrangements. 

They  did  not  seem  to  be  talking ;  for  Oddo,  who 
was  the  best  listener  in  the  world,  could  not  discover 
that  a  sound  issued  from  their  boat.  He  fancied  they 
were  drowsy ;  and,  being  aware  what  were  the  conse- 
quences of  yielding  to  drowsiness  in  severe  cold,  the 
boy  began  to  entertain  high  hopes  of  taking  these  three 
men  prisoners.  The  whole  country  would  ring  with 
such  a  feat,  oerformed  by  Erica  and  himself 

The  men  were,  however,  too  much  awake  to  be  made 
prisoners  of  at  present.  One  was  seen  to  drink  from  a 
flask,  and  the  hoarse  voice  of  another  was  heard  grum- 
bling, as  far  as  the  listeners  could  make  out,  at  being  kept 


68  FEATS    (K\    Till-:    FIURI). 

waiting.  The  third  then  rose  to  look  about  him,  and 
Erica  trembled  from  head  to  foot.  He  only  looked 
upon  the  land,  however,  declared  he  saw  nothing  of 
those  he  was  expecting,  and  began  to  warm  himself 
as  he  stood,  by  repeatedly  clapping  his  arms  across  his 
breast,  in  the  way  that  hackney-coachmen  and  porters 
do  in  England.  This  was  Hund.  He  could  not  have 
been  known  by  his  figure,  for  all  persons  look  alike  in 
wolf-skin  pelisses ;  but  the  voice  and  the  action  were 
his.  Oddo  saw  how  Erica  shuddered.  He  put  his 
finger  on  his  lips,  but  Erica  needed  no  reminding  of  the 
necessity  of  quietness. 

The  other  two  men  then  rose;  and,  after  a  consulta- 
tion, the  words  of  which  could  not  be  heard,  all  stepped 
ashore  one  after  another,  and  climbed  a  rocky  pathway. 

"  Now,  now  !  "  whispered  Erica.  "  Now  we  can  get 
away !  " 

"  Not  without  the  boat,"  said  Oddo.  "  You  would 
not  leave  them  the  boat !  " 

"No  —  not  if — but  they  will  be  back  in  a  moment. 
They  are  only  gone  to  hasten  their  companions." 

"I  know  it,"  said  Oddo.  "Now  two  strokes  for- 
ward." 

While  she  gave  these  two  strokes,  which  brought  the 
skiff  to  the  stern  of  the  boat,  Erica  saw  that  Oddo  had 
taken  out  a  knife,  which  gleamed  in  the  starlight.  It 
was  for  cutting  the  thong  by  which  the  boat  was 
fastened  to  a  birch  pole,  the  other  end  of  which  was 
hooked  on  shore.  This  was  to  save  his  going  ashore  to 
unhook  the  pole.  It  was  well  for  him  that  boat-chains 
were  not  in  use,  owing  to  the  scarcit}'  of  metal  in  that 
region.  The  clink  of  a  chain  would  certainly  have 
been  heard. 

Quickly  and  silently  he  entered  the  boat  and  tied  the 
skiff  to  its  stern,  and  he  and  Erica  took  their  places 
where  the  men  had  sat  one  minute  before.  They  used 
their  own  muffled  oars  to  turn  the  boat  round,  till  Oddo 
observed  that  the  boat  oars  were  muffled  too.     Then 


FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD.  69 

voices  were  heard  again.  The  men  were  returning. 
Strongly  did  the  two  companions  draw  their  strokes 
till  a  good  breadth  of  water  lay  between  them  and  the 
shore,  and  then  till  they  had  again  entered  the  deep 
shadow  which  shrouded  the  mouth  of  the  cove.  There 
they  paused. 

"  In  with  }'ou  !  "  some  loud  voice  said,  as  man  after 
man  was  seen  in  outline  coming  down  the  pathway; 
"  in  with  you  !      We  have  lost  time  enough  already." 

"Where  is  she?  I  can't  see  the  boat,"  answered  the 
foremost  man. 

"  You  can't  miss  her,"  said  one  behind,  "  unless  the 
brandy  has  got  into  your  eyes." 

"So  I  should  have  said;  but  I  do  miss  her.  It  is 
very  incomprehensible  to  me." 

Oddo  shook  with  stifled  laughter  as  he  partly  saw 
and  partly  overheard  the  perplexity  of  these  men.  At 
last  one  gave  a  deep  groan,  and  another  declared  that 
the  spirits  of  the  fiord  were  against  them,  and  there 
was  no  doubt  that  their  boat  was  now  lying  twenty 
fathoms  deep  at  the  bottom  of  the  creek,  drawn  down 
by  the  strong  hand  of  an  angry  water-spirit.  Oddo 
squeezed  Erica's  little  hand  as  he  heard  this.  If  it  had 
been  light  enough,  he  would  have  seen  that  even  she 
was  smiling. 

One  of  the  men  mourned  their  having  no  other  boat, 
so  that  they  must  give  up  their  plan.  Another  said 
that  if  they  had  a  dozen  boats,  he  would  not  set  foot 
in  one  after  what  had  happened.  He  should  go 
straight  back,  the  way  he  came,  to  their  own  vessel. 
Another  said  he  would  not  go  till  he  had  looked 
abroad  over  the  fiord  for  some  chance  of  seeing  the 
boat.  This  he  persisted  in,  though  told  by  the  rest 
that  it  was  absurd  to  suppose  that  the  boat  had  loosed 
itself,  and  gone  out  into  the  fiord,  in  the  course  of  the 
two  minutes  that  they  had  been  absent.  He  showed 
the  fragment  of  the  cut  thong  in  proof  of  the  boat  not 
having   loosed   itself,   and   set   off   for   a   point   on  the 


/O  KEATS    ()\    THE    FIURD. 

heights  which  he  said  overlooked  the  fiord.  One  or 
two  went  with  him,  the  rest  returning  up  the  narrow 
pathway  at  some  speed  —  such  speed  that  Erica 
thought  they  were  afraid  of  the  hindmost  being  caught 
by  the  same  enemy  that  had  taken  their  boat.  Oddo 
observed  this  too,  and  he  quickened  their  pace  by  set- 
ting up  very  loud  the  mournful  cry  with  which  he  was 
accustomed  to  call  out  the  plovers  on  the  mountain- 
side on  sporting  days.  No  sound  can  be  more  melan- 
choly ;  and  now,  as  it  rang  from  the  rocks,  it  was  so 
unsuitable  to  the  place,  and  so  terrible  to  the  already 
frightened  men,  that  they  ran  on  as  fast  as  the  slipperi- 
ness  of  the  rocks  would  allow,  till  they  were  all  out  of 
sight  over  the  ridge. 

"  Now  for  it,  before  the  other  two  come  out  above 
us  there  !  "  said  Oddo ;  and  in  another  minute  they 
were  again  in  the  fiord,  keeping  as  much  in  the  shadow 
as  they  could,  however,  till  they  must  strike  over  to  the 
islet. 

"  Thank  God  that  we  came !  "  exclaimed  Erica. 
"We  shall  never  forget  what  we  owe  you,  Oddo.  You 
shall  see,  by  the  care  we  take  of  }'our  grandfather  and 
Ulla,  that  we  do  not  forget  wliat  you  have  done  this 
night.  If  Nipen  will  only  forgive,  for  the  sake  of 
this—" 

"We  were  just  in  the  nick  of  time,"  observed  Oddo. 
"  It  was  better  than  if  we  had  been  earlier." 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Erica.  "  Here  are  their 
brandy-bottles,  and  many  things  besides.  I  had  rather 
not  have  had  to  bring  these  away." 

"  But  if  we  had  been  earlier,  they  would  not  have 
had  their  fright.  That  is  the  best  part  of  it.  Depend 
upon  it,  some  that  have  not  said  their  pra\-crs  for  long 
will  say  them  to-night." 

"That  will  be  good.  But  I  do  not  like  carr\ing 
home  these  things  that  are  not  ours.  If  they  are  seen 
at  Erlingsen's,  they  may  bring  the  pirates  down  upon 
us.      I  wtnild  lca\-e  them  on  the   islet,  but  that  the  skiff 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  /I 

has  to  be  left  there  too,  and  that  would  explain  our 
trick." 

Erica  would  not  consent  to  throw  the  property 
overboard.  This  would  be  robbing  those  who  had  not 
actually  injured  her,  whatever  their  intentions  might 
have  been.  She  thought  that  if  the  goods  were  left 
upon  some  barren,  uninhabited  part  of  the  shore,  the 
pirates  would  probably  be  the  first  to  find  them  ;  and 
that,  if  not,  the  rumor  of  such  an  extraordinary  fact, 
spread  by  the  simple  country  people,  would  be  sure 
to  reach  them.  So  Oddo  carried  on  shore,  at  the  first 
stretch  of  white  beach  they  came  to,  the  brandy-flasks, 
the  bearskins,  the  tobacco-pouch,  the  muskets  and 
powder-horns,  and  the  tinder-box.  He  scattered  these 
about  just  above  high-water  mark,  laughing  to  think 
how  report  would  tell  of  the  sprite's  care  in  placing 
all  these  articles  out  of  reach  of  injury  from  the 
water. 

Oddo  did  not  want  for  light  while  doing  this.  When 
he  returned,  he  found  Erica  gazing  up  over  the  tower- 
ing precipices,  at  the  northern  lights,  which  had  now 
unfurled  their  broad  yellow  blaze.  She  was  glad  that 
they  had  not  appeared  sooner,  to  spoil  the  adventure 
of  the  night ;  but  she  was  thankful  to  have  the  way 
home  thus  illumined,  now  that  the  business  was  done. 
She  answered  with  so  much  alacrity  to  Oddo's  question 
whether  she  was  not  very  weary,  that  he  ventured  to 
say  two  things  which  had  before  been  upon  his  tongue, 
without  his  having  courage  to  utter  them. 

"  You  will  not  be  so  afraid  of  Nipen  any  more," 
observed  he,  glancing  at  her  face,  of  which  he  could 
see  every  feature  by  the  quivering  light.  "You  see 
how  well  everything  has  turned  out." 

"  O,  hush  !  It  is  too  soon  yet  to  speak  so.  It  is 
never  right  to  speak  so.  There  is  no  knowing  till  next 
Christmas,  nor  even  then,  that  Nipen  forgives ;  and  the 
first  twenty-four  hours  are  not  over  yet.  Pray  do  not 
speak  any  more,  Oddo." 


72  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

"Well,  not  about  that.  But  what  was  it  exactly  that 
}'ou  thought  IIuiul  would  do  with  this  boat  and  those 
people?  Did  }'ou  think,"  he  continued,  after  a  short 
pause,  "  that  they  would  come  up  to  Erlingsen's  to  rob 
the  place?  " 

"  Not  for  the  object  of  robbing  the  place,  because 
there  is  very  little  that  is  worth  their  taking,  far  less 
than  at  the  fishing  grounds ;  not  but  they  might  have 
robbed  us,  if  they  took  a  fancy  to  anything  we  have. 
No  !  I  thought,  and  I  still  think,  that  they  would  have 
carried  off  Rolf,  led  on  by  Hund  —  " 

"  O,  ho  1  carried  off  Rolf!  So  here  is  the  secret  of 
your  wonderful  courage  to-night  —  you  who  durst  not 
look  round  at  your  own  shadow  last  night !  This  is 
the  secret  of  your  not  being  tired  —  you  who  are  out 
of  breath  with  rowing  a  mile  sometimes  !  " 

"That  is  in  summer,"  pleaded  Erica;  "however, 
you  have  my  secret,  as  you  say,  a  thing  which  is  no 
secret  at  home.  We  all  think  that  Hund  bears  such  a 
grudge  against  Rolf,  for  having  got  the  houseman's 
place  —  " 

"  And  for  nothing  else?" 

"That,"  continued  Erica,  "he  would  be  glad  to  — 
to  —  " 

"  To  get  rid  of  Rolf,  and  be  a  houseman,  and  get 
betrothed  instead  of  him.  Well,  Hund  is  balked  for 
this  time.     Rolf  must  look  to  himself  after  to-day." 

Erica  sighed  deeply.  She  did  not  believe  that  Rolf 
would  attend  to  his  own  safety,  and  the  future  looked 
very  dark,  —  all  shrouded  by  her  fears. 

By  the  time  the  skiff  was  deposited  where  it  had 
been  found,  both  the  rowers  were  so  weary  that  they 
gave  up  the  idea  of  taking  the  raft  in  tow,  as  for  full 
security  they  ought  to  do.  They  doubted  whether 
they  could  get  home,  if  they  had  more  weight  to  draw 
than  their  own  boat.  It  was  well  that  they  left 
this  incumbrance  behind,  for  there  was  quite  peril  and 
difficultv  enough   without  it,  and   Erica's  strength   and 


FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD. 


7h 


Spirits  failed  the  more  the  further  the  enemy  was  left 
behind. 

A  breath  of  wind  seemed  to  bring  a  sudden  darken- 
ing of  the  friendly  lights  which  had  blazed  up  higher 
and  brighter,  from  their  first  appearance  till  now. 
Both  rowers  looked  down  the  fiord,  and  uttered  an 
exclamation  at  the  same  moment. 

"  See  the  fog !  "  cried  Oddo,  putting  fresh  strength 
into  his  oar. 

"  O  Nipen  !  Nipen  !  "  mournfully  exclaimed  Erica. 
"  Here  it  is,  Oddo,  — the  west  wind  !  " 


^ 


The  west  wind  is,  in  winter,  the  great  foe  of  the  fish- 
ermen of  the  fiords :  it  brings  in  the  fog  from  the  sea, 
and  the  fogs  of  the  Arctic  Circle  are  no  trifling  enemy. 
If  Nipen  really  had  the  charge  of  the  winds,  he  could 
not  more  emphatically  show  his  displeasure  towards 
any  unhappy  boatman  than  by  overtaking  him  with  the 
west  wind  and  fog. 

"  The  wind  must  have  just  changed,"  said  Oddo, 
pulling  exhausting  strokes,  as  the  fog  marched  towards 


74  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORU. 

them  o\er  the  water,  like  a  soHd  and  immeasurably 
luft}'  wall.  "  The  wind  must  have  ijone  right  round  in 
a  minute." 

"To  be  sure,  —  since  you  said  what  }-ou  did  of 
Nipen,"  replied  Erica,  bitterly. 

Oddo  made  no  answer,  but  he  did  what  he  could. 
Erica  had  to  tell  him  not  to  wear  himself  out  too 
quickl}',  as  there  was  no  saying  how  long  the}'  should 
be  on  the  water. 

How  long  they  had  been  on  the  water,  how  far  they 
had  deviated  from  their  right  course,  they  could  not 
at  all  tell,  when,  at  last,  more  by  accident  than  skill, 
they  touched  the  shore  near  home,  and  heard  friendly 
voices,  and  saw  the  light  of  torches  through  the  thick 
air.  The  fog  had  wTapped  them  round  so  that  they 
could  not  even  see  the  water,  or  each  other.  They 
had  rowed  mechanically,  sometimes  touching  the  rock, 
sometimes  grazing  upon  the  sand,  but  never  knowing 
where  they  were  till  the  ringing  of  a  bell,  which  they 
recognized  as  the  farm  bell,  roused  hope  in  their 
hearts,  and  strengthened  them  to  throw  off  the  fatal 
drowsiness  caused  by  cold  and  fatigue.  The}"  made 
towards  the  bell,  and  then  heard  Feder's  shouts,  and 
next  saw  the  dull  light  of  two  torches  which  looked  as 
if  they  could  not  burn  in  the  fog.  The  old  man  lent  a 
strong  hand  to  pull  up  the  boat  upon  the  beach,  and 
to  lift  out  the  benumbed  rowers,  and  they  were  pres- 
ently revived  by  having  their  limbs  chafed,  and  by  a 
strong  dose  of  the  universal  medicine — corn-brandy 
and  camphor  —  which  in  Norway,  neither  man  nor 
woman,  }'oung  nor  old,  sick  nor  well,  thinks  of  refusing 
upon  occasion. 

When  Erica  w'as  in  bed,  w^arm  beneath  an  eider-down 
coverlid,  her  mistress  bent  over  her  and  whispered, — 

"  You  saw  and  heard  Hund  himself?  " 

"  Hund  himself,  madam." 

"  What  shall  we  do  if  he  comes  back  before  ni}'  hus- 
band is  home  from  the  bear-hunt?  " 


FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD.  75 

"  If  he  comes,  it  will  be  in  fear  and  penitence,  think- 
ing that  all  the  powers  are  against  him.  But  O, 
madam,  let  him  never  know  how  it  really  was  !  " 

"He  must  not  know.  Leave  that  to  me,  and  go  to 
sleep  now,  Erica.  You  ought  to  rest  well,  for  there  is 
no  saying  what  you  and  Oddo  have  saved  us  from.  I 
could  not  have  asked  such  a  service.  My  husband  and 
I  must  see  how  we  can  reward  it."  And  her  kind  and 
grateful  mistress  kissed  Erica's  cheek,  though  Erica 
tried  to  explain  that  she  was  thinking  most  of  some  one 
else,  when  she  undertook  this  expedition. 

"  Then  let  him  thank  you  in  his  own  way,"  replied 
Madame  Erlingsen.  "  Meantime,  why  should  not  I 
thank  you  in  mine?  " 

Stiorna  here  opened  her  eyes  for  an  instant.  When 
she  next  did  so,  her  mistress  was  gone ;  and  she  told 
in  the  morning  what  an  odd  dream  she  had  had  of  her 
mistress  being  in  her  room,  and  kissing  Erica.  It  was 
so  distinct  a  dream  that,  if  the  thing  had  not  been  so 
ridiculous,  she  could  almost  have  declared  that  she 
had  seen  it. 


"jS  FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

SPRING. 

Great  was  Stiorna's  consternation  at  Hund's  non- 
appearance the  next  day,  sceini^  as  she  did,  with  her 
own  e}'es,  that  the  boat  was  safe  in  its  proper  place. 
She  had  provided  salt  for  his  cod,  and  a  welcome  for 
himself;  and  she  watched  in  vain  for  either.  She  saw, 
too,  that  no  one  wished  him  back.  He  was  rarely 
spoken  of ;  and  then  it  was  with  dislike  or  fear:  and 
when  she  wept  over  the  idea  of  his  being  drowned,  or 
carried  off  by  hostile  spirits,  the  only  comfort  offered 
her  was  that  she  need  not  fear  his  being  dead,  or  that 
he  could  not  come  back  if  he  chose.  She  was,  indeed, 
obliged  to  suppose,  at  last,  that  it  was  his  choice  to 
keep  away;  for  amidst  the  flying  rumors  that  amused 
the  inhabitants  of  the  district  for  the  rest  of  the  winter, 
—  rumors  of  the  movements  of  the  pirate-vessel,  and 
of  the  pranks  of  the  spirits  of  the  region,  there  were 
some  such  clear  notices  of  the  appearance  of  Hund, 
so  many  eyes  had  seen  him  in  one  place  or  another, 
by  land  and  water,  by  day  and  night,  —  that  Stiorna 
could  not  doubt  of  his  being  alive,  and  free  to  come 
home  or  stay  away  as  he  pleased.  She  could  not  con- 
ceal from  herself  that  he  had  probably  joined  the 
pirates;  and  heartily  as  these  pirates  were  feared 
throughout  the  Nordland  coasts,  they  were  not  more 
heartily  hated  by  any  than  by  the  jealous  Stiorna. 

Her  salt  was  wanted  as  much  as  if  Hund  had 
brought  home  a  boatful  of  cod;  and  she  might  have 
given  her  welcome  to  the  hunting-party.  Erlingsen 
and  Rolf  came  home  sooner  than  might  reasonably 
have  been  expected,  and  well  laden  with  bear's  flesh. 
The  whole   familv  of  bears  had  been   found   and  shot. 


FEATS    ON    THE    FIORD. 


77 


r^m 


The  flesh  of  the  cubs  had  been  divided  among  the 
hunters ;  and  Erhngsen  was  compHmented  with  the 
feet  of  the  old  bear,  as  it  was  he  who  had  roused  the 
neighbors,  and  led  the  hunt.  Busy  was  every  farm- 
house (and  none  so  busy  as  Erlingsen's)  in  salting 
some  of  the  meat, 
freezing  some,  and 
cooking  a  part  for 
a  feast  on  the  oc- 
casion. 

Erlingsen  kept 
a  keen  and  con- 
stant lookout 
upon  the  fiord,  in 
the  midst  of  all 
the  occupations 
and  gayeties  o  f 
the  rest  of  the 
winter.  His  wife's 
account  of  the 
adventures  of  the 
day  of  his  absence 
made  him  anx- 
ious ;  and  he  never 
went  a  mile  out  of 
sight  of  home,  so 
vivid  in  his  imagi-  ■  -    ' 

nationwasthe  '   '^'^' 

vision  of  his  house  burning,  and  his  family  at  the  mercy 
of  pirates.  Nothing  happened,  however,  to  confirm 
his  fears.  The  enemy  were  never  heard  of  in  the 
fiord ;  and  the  cod-fishers  who  came  up,  before  the 
softening  of  the  snow,  to  sell  some  of  their  produce 
in  the  interior  of  the  country,  gave  such  accounts  as 
seemed  to  show  that  the  fishing-grounds  were  the 
object  of  the  foreign  thieves ;  for  foreign  they  were 
declared  to  be :  some  said  Russian ;  and  others,  a 
mixture    from    hostile  nations.     This  last    information 


78  FEATS    0\    THE    FIORD. 

gave  more  impulse  to  the  love  of  country,  for  which  the 
Norwegians  are  remarkable,  than  all  that  had  been 
reported  from  the  seat  of  war.  The  Nordlanders 
always  drank  success  to  their  country's  arms,  in  the 
first  glass  of  corn-brandy  at  dinner.  They  paid  their 
taxes  cheerfull)' ;  and  any  newspaper  that  the  clergy- 
man put  in  circulation  was  read  till  it  fell  to  pieces ; 
but  the  neighborhood  of  foreign  pirates  proved  a  more 
powerful  stimulant  still.  The  standing  toast,  Gamlc 
Norgc  (Old  Norwa)'),  was  drunk  with  such  enthusiasm, 
that  the  little  children  shouted  and  defied  the  eneni)' ; 
and  the  baby  in  its  mother's  lap  clapped  its  hands 
when  every  voice  joined  in  the  national  song,  For  Norgc. 
Hitherto  the  war  had  gone  forward  upon  the  soil  of 
another  kingdom ;  it  seemed  now  as  if  a  sprinkling  of 
it  —  a  little  of  its  excitement  and  danger — was  brought 
to  their  own  doors  ;  and  vehement  was  the  spirit  that  it 
roused ;  though  some  thefts  of  cod,  brandy,  and  a  little 
money  were  all  that  had  really  happened  yet. 

The  interval  of  security  gave  Rolf  a  good  opportunity 
to  ridicule  and  complain  of  Erica's  fears.  He  laughed 
at  the  danger  of  an  attack  from  Hund  and  his  com- 
rades, as  that  danger  was  averted.  He  laughed  at  the 
west  wind  and  fog  sent  by  Nipen's  wrath,  as  Erica  had 
reached  home  in  spite  of  it.  He  contended  that,  so 
far  from  Nipen  being  offended,  there  was  either  no 
Nipen,  or  it  was  not  angry,  or  it  was  powerless ;  for 
everything  had  gone  well ;  and  he  alwa)-s  ended  with 
pointing  to  the  deer  —  a  good  thing  led  to  the  very 
door  ;  and  to  the  result  of  the  bear-hunt —  a  great  event 
always  in  a  Nordlander's  life,  and,  in  this  instance,  one 
of  most  fortunate  issue.  There  was  no  saying  how 
many  of  the  young  of  the  farmyard  would  live  and  flour- 
ish, this  summer,  on  account  of  the  timely  destruction 
of  this  family  of  bears.  So  Rolf  worked  away,  with  a 
cheerful  heart,  as  the  days  grew  longer,  —  now  mend- 
ing the  boat,  —  now  fishing,  —  now  ploughing,  and 
then  rolling  logs  into  the  melting  streams,  to  be  carried 


FEATS     e^X    THE    FIURD.  79 

down  into  the  river,  or  into  the  fiord,  when  the  rush  of 
waters  should  come  from  the  heights  of  Suhtelma. 

Hard  as  Rolf  worked,  he  did  not  toil  like  Oddo. 
Between  them,  the}'  had  to  supply  Hund's  place,  —  to 
do  his  work.  Xobod}'  desired  to  see  Hund  back  again  ; 
and  Erlingsen  would  willingly  have  taken  another  in 
his  stead,  to  make  his  return  impossible ;  but  there  was 
no  one  to  be  had.  It  was  useless  to  inquire  till  the 
fishing  season  should  be  o\'er ;  and  when  that  was  over, 
the  hay  and  harvest  season  would  follow  so  quickly, 
that  it  was  scarcely  likely  that  any  youth  would  offer 
himself  till  the  first  frosts  set  in.  It  was  Oddo's  desire 
that  the  place  should  remain  vacant  till  he  could  show 
that  he,  }'oung  as  he  was,  was  worth  as  much  as  Hund. 
If  any  one  was  hired,  he  wished  that  it  might  be  a 
herdbo}',  under  him ;  and  strenuously  did  he  toil,  this 
spring,  to  show  that  he  was  now  beyond  a  mere  herd- 
boy's  place.  It  was  he  who  first  fattened,  and  then 
killed  and  skinned  the  reindeer,  —  a  more  than  ordinary 
feat,  as  it  was  full  two  months  past  the  regular  season. 
It  was  he  who  watched  the  making  of  the  first  eider- 
duck's  nest,  and  brought  home  the  first  down.  All  the 
month  of  April,  he  never  failed  in  the  double  work  of 
the  farmyard  and  islet.  He  tended  the  cattle  in  the 
morning,  and  turned  out  the  goats,  when  the  first 
patches  of  green  appeared  from  beneath  the  snow: 
and  then  he  was  off  to  the  islet,  or  to  some  one  of  the 
breeding  stations  among  the  rocks,  punctually  stripping 
the  nests  of  the  down,  as  the  poor  ducks  renewed  the 
supply  from  their  breasts ;  and  as  carefully  staying  his 
hand,  when  he  saw,  by  the  yellow  tinge  of  the  down, 
that  the  duck  had  no  more  to  give,  and  the  drake  had 
now  supplied  what  was  necessary  for  hatching  the  eggs. 
Then  he  watched  for  the  eggs;  and  never  had  Madame 
Erlingsen  had  such  a  quantity  brought  home;  though 
Oddo  assured  her  that  he  had  left  enough  in  the  nests 
for  every  duck  to  have  her  brood.  Then  he  was  read)- 
to  bring  home   the   goats  again,  long  before  sunset,  — 


8o  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

for,  by  this  time,  the  sun  set  late, — and  to  take  his 
turn  at  mending  any  fence  that  might  have  been  injured 
by  the  spring  floods ;  and  then  he  never  forgot  to  wash 
and  dress  himself,  and  go  in  for  his  grandmother's  bless- 
incf;  and  after  all,  he  was  not  too  tired  to  sit  up  as  late 
as  if  he  were  a  man,  —  even  till  past  nine  sometimes,  — 
spending  the  last  hour  of  the  evening  in  working  at  the 
bell  collars  which  Hund  had  left  half  done,  and  which 
must  be  finished  before  the  cattle  went  to  the  moun- 
tain :  or,  if  the  young  ladies  were  disposed  to  dance, 
he  was  never  too  tired  to  play  the  clarionet,  though  it 
now  and  then  happened  that  the  tune  went  rather 
oddly;  and  when  Orga  and  Frolich  looked  at  him,  to 
see  what  he  was  about,  his  eyes  were  shut,  and  his 
fingers  looked  as  if  they  were  moving  of  their  own 
accord.  If  this  happened,  the  young  ladies  would 
finish  their  waltz  at  once,  and  thank  him,  and  his  mis- 
tress would  wish  him  good  night ;  and  when  he  was 
gone,  his  master  would  tell  old  Peder  that  that  grand- 
son of  his  was  a  promising  lad,  and  very  diligent;  and 
Peder  would  make  a  low  bow,  and  say  it  was  greatly 
owing  to  Rolf's  good  example  ;  and  then  Erica  would 
blush,  and  be  kinder  than  ever  to  Oddo  the  next  day. 
So  came  on  and  passed  away  the  spring  of  this  year 
at  Erlingsen's  farm.  It  soon  passed ;  for  spring  in 
Xordland  lasts  only  a  month.  In  that  short  time  had 
the  snow  first  become  soft,  and  then  dingy,  and  then 
vanished,  except  on  the  heights,  and  in  places  where  it 
had  drifted.  The  streams  had  broken  their  long  pause 
of  silence,  and  now  leaped  and  rushed  along,  till  every 
rock  overhanging  both  sides  of  the  fiord  was  musical 
with  falling  waters,  and  glittering  with  silver  threads,  — 
for  the  cataracts  looked  no  more  than  this  in  so  vast  a 
scene.  Every  mill  was  going,  after  the  long  idleness 
of  winter;  and  about  the  bridges  which  spanned  the 
falls  were  little  groups  of  the  peasants  gathered,  mend- 
ing such  as  had  burst  with  the  floods,  or  strengthening 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  8 1 

such  as  did  not  seem  secure  enough  for  the  passage  of 
the  herds  to  the  mountain. 

Busy  as  the  maidens  were  with  the  cows  that  were 
calving,  and  with  the  care  of  the  young  kids,  they 
found  leisure  to  pry  into  the  promise  of  the  spring. 
In  certain  warm  nooks,  where  the  sunshine  was  reflected 
from  the  surrounding  rocks,  they  daily  watched  for 
what  else  might  appear,  when  once  the  grass,  of  brill- 
iant green,  had  shown  itself  from  beneath  the  snow. 
There  they  found  the  strawberry  and  the  wild  raspberry 
promising  to  carpet  the  ground  with  their  white  blossoms  ; 
while  in  one  corner  the  lily  of  the  valley  began  to  push 
up  its  pairs  of  leaves ;  and  from  the  crevices  of  the 
rock,  the  barberry  and  the  dwarf  birch  grew,  every 
twig  showing  swelling  buds,  or  an  early  sprout. 

While  these  cheerful  pursuits  went  on  out  of  doors 
during  the  one  busy  month  of  spring,  a  slight  shade  of 
sadness  was  thrown  over  the  household  within  by  the 
decline  of  old  Ulla.  It  was  hardly  sadness ;  it  was 
little  more  than  gravity ;  for  Ulla  herself  was  glad  to 
go  ;  Peder  knew  that  he  should  soon  follow ;  and  every 
one  else  was  reconciled  to  one  who  had  suffered  so 
long  going  to  her  rest. 

"  The  winter  and  1  are  going  together,  my  dear," 
said  she  one  day,  when  Erica  placed  on  her  pillow  a 
green  shoot  of  birch  which  she  had  taken  from  out  of 
the  very  mouth  of  a  goat.  "The  hoary  winter  and 
hoary  I  have  lived  out  our  time,  and  we  are  departing 
together.  I  shall  make  way  for  you  young  people,  and 
give  you  your  turn,  as  he  is  giving  way  to  spring;  and 
let  nobody  pretend  to  be  sorry  for  it.  Who  pretends 
to  be  sorry  when  winter  is  gone?  " 

"  But  winter  will  come  again,  so  soon  and  so  cer- 
tainly, Ulla,"  said  Erica,  mournfully:  "  and  when  it  is 
come  again,  we  shall  still  miss  you." 

"  Well,  my  dear,  I  will  say  nothing  against  that.  It 
is  good  for  the  living  to  miss  the  dead,  as  long  as  they 


82  FEATS    UX     11  IE    ElURD. 

do  not  wish  thcni  back.  As  for  me,  Erica,  I  feel  as  if 
I  could  not  but  miss  >'OU,  go  where  I  ma)'.' 

"  O,  do  not  say  that,  Ulla." 

"  Why  not  say  it  if  I  feel  it?  Who  could  be  dis- 
pleased with  me  for  grasping  still  at  the  hand  that  has 
smoothed  my  bed  so  long,  when  I  am  going  to  some 
place  that  will  be  very  good,  no  doubt,  but  where 
everything  must  be  strange  at  first?  He  who  gave  you 
to  me,  to  be  my  nurse,  will  not  think  the  worse  of  me 
for  missing  you,  whenever  I  may  be." 

"There  will  be  little  Henrica,"  observed  Erica. 

"  Ah  yes  !  there  is  nothing  I  think  of  more  than  that. 
That  dear  child  died  on  my  shoulder.  Fain  would  her 
mother  have  had  her  in  her  arms  at  the  last ;  but  she 
was  in  such  extremity  that  to  move  her  would  have 
been  to  end  all  at  once ;  and  so  she  died  away,  with  her 
head  on  my  shoulder.  I  thought  then  it  was  a  sign 
that  I  should  be  the  first  to  meet  her  again.  But  I 
shall  take  care  and  not  stand  in  the  way  of  her  mother's 
rights." 

Here  Ulla  grew  so  earnest  in  imagining  her  meeting 
with  Henrica,  still  fancying  her  the  dependent  little 
creature  she  had  been  on  earth,  that  she  was  impatient 
to  be  gone.  Erica's  idea  was  that  this  child  might  now 
have  become  so  wise  and  so  mighty  in  the  wisdom  of 
a  better  world,  as  to  be  no  such  plaything  as  Ulla  sup- 
posed ;  but  she  said  nothing  to  spoil  the  old  woman's 
pleasure. 

When  Peder  came  in,  to  sit  beside  his  old  com- 
panion's bed,  and  sing  her  to  sleep,  she  told  him  that 
she  hoped  to  be  by  when  he  opened  his  now  dark  eyes 
upon  the  sweet  light  of  a  heavenly  day;  and,  if  she 
might,  she  would  meantime  make  up  his  dreams  for 
him,  and  make  him  believe  that  he  saw  the  most  glori- 
ous sights  of  old  Norway,  —  more  glorious  than  are  to 
be  seen  in  any  other  part  of  this  lower  world.  There 
should  be  no  end  to  the  gleaming  lakes,  and  dim 
forests,  and  bright  green  valleys,   and   silvery  waterfalls 


FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD.  83 

that  he  should  see  in  his  dreams,  if  she  might  have  the 
making  of  them.  There  was  no  end  to  the  dehghtful 
things  Ulla  looked  forward  to,  and  the  kind  things  she 
hoped  to  be  able  to  do  for  those  she  left  behind,  when 
once  she  should  have  quitted  her  present  helpless  state  : 
and  she  thought  so  much  of  these  things,  that  when  M. 
Kollseii  arrived,  he  found  that,  instead  of  her  needing  to 
be  reconciled  to  death,  she  v^as  impatient  to  be  gone.  The 
first  thing  he  heard  her  say,  when  all  was  so  dim  before 
her  dying  eyes,  and  so  confused  to  her  failing  ears,  that 
she  did  not  know  the  pastor  had  arrived,  was  that  she 
was  less  uneasy  now  about  Nipen's  displeasure  against 
the  young  people.  Perhaps  she  might  be  able  to  ex- 
plain and  prevent  mischief:  and  if  not,  the  young 
people's  marriage  would  soon  be  taking  place  now,  and 
then  they  might  show  such  attention  to  Nipen  as  would 
make  the  spirit  forgive  and  forget. 

"  Hush,  now,  dear  Ulla  !  "  said  Erica.  "  Here  is  the 
pastor." 

"Do  not  say  'Hush'!"  said  M.  Kollsen,  sternly. 
"  Whatever  is  said  of  this  kind  I  ought  to  hear,  that  I 
may  meet  the  delusion.  I  must  have  conversation  with 
this  poor  woman,  to  prevent  her  very  last  breath  being 
poisoned  with  superstition.  You  are  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  Ulla?" 

With  humble  pleasure,  Ulla  told  of  the  satisfaction 
which  the  Bishop  of  Tronyem,  of  seventy  years  ago, 
had  expressed  at  her  confirmation.  It  was  this  which 
obtained  her  a  good  place,  and  Peder's  regard,  and  all 
the  good  that  had  happened  in  her  long  life  since. 
Yes :  she  was  indeed  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  she  thanked  God. 

"  And  in  what  part  of  the  Scriptures  of  our  church 
do  you  find  mention  of — of — (I  hate  the  very 
names  of  these  pretended  spirits).  Where  in  the 
Scriptures  are  you  bidden  or  permitted  to  believe  in 
spirits  and  demons  of  the  wood  and  the  mountain?" 

Ulla  declared  that  her  learning  in  the  Scriptures  wa's 


84  FEATS    OX   THE    I'lORD. 

but  small.  She  knew  only  what  she  had  been  taught, 
and  a  little  that  she  had  picked  up  ;  but  she  remem- 
bered that  the  former  Bishop  of  Tronyem  himself  had 
hung  up  an  axe  in  the  forest,  on  Midsummer  Eve,  for 
the  wood-demon's  use,  if  it  pleased. 

Peder  observed  that  we  all  believe  so  many  things 
that  are  not  found  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures,  that 
perhaps  it  would  be  v/isest  and  kindest,  by  a  dying  bed, 
where  moments  were  precious,  to  speak  of  those  high 
things  which  the  Scriptures  discourse  of,  and  which  all 
Christians  believe.  These  were  the  subjects  for  Ulla 
now:  the  others  might  be  reasoned  of  when  she  was  in 
her  grave. 

The  pastor  was  not  quite  satisfied  with  this  way  of  at- 
tending the  dying;  but  there  was  something  in  the  aged 
man's  voice  and  manner  quite  irresistible,  as  he  sat 
calmly  awaiting  the  departure  of  the  last  companion  of 
his  own  generation.  M.  Kollsen  took  out  his  Bible, 
and  read  what  Ulla  gladly  heard,  till  her  husband  knew 
by  the  slackened  clasp  of  her  hand  that  she  heard  no 
longer.  She  had  become  insensible,  and  before  sunset 
had  departed. 

Rolf  had  continued  his  kind  offices  to  the  old  couple 
with  the  utmost  respect  and  propriety,  to  the  end  refus- 
ing to  go  out  of  call  during  the  last  few  days  of  Ulla's 
decline ;  but  he  had  observed,  with  some  anxiety,  that 
there  was  certainly  a  shoal  of  herrings  in  the  fiord,  and 
that  it  was  high  time  he  was  making  use  of  the  sunny 
days  for  his  fishing.  In  order  to  go  about  this  duty 
without  any  delay,  when  again  at  liberty,  he  had 
brought  the  skiff  up  to  the  beach  for  repair,  and  had  it 
nearly  ready  for  use  by  the  day  of  the  funeral.  The 
family  boat  was  too  large  for  his  occasions,  now  that 
Hund  was  not  hereto  take  an  oar;  and  he  expected  to 
do  great  things  alone  in  the  little  manageable  skiff. 

When  he  had  assisted  Peder  to  lay  Ulla's  head  in  the 
grave,  and  guided  him  back  to  the  house,  Rolf  drew 
Erica's  arm  within  his  own.anci  led  her  away,  as  if  for  a 


FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD. 


«5 


walk.  No  one  interfered  with  them ;  for  the  family 
knew  that  their  hearts  must  be  very  full,  and  that  they 
must  have  much  to  say  to  each  other,  now  that  the 
event  had  happened  which  was  to  cause  their  marriage 
very  soon.  They  would  now  wait  no  longer  than  to 
pay  proper  respect  to  Ulla's  memory,  and  to  improve 
the  house  and  its  furniture  a  little,  so  as  to  make  it  fit 
for  the  bride. 

Rolf  would  have  led  Erica  to  the  beach  ;  but  she 
begged  to  go  first  to  see  the  grave  again,  while  they 
knew  that  no  one  was  there.  The  grave  was  dug  close 
by  the  little  mound  be- 
neath which  Henrica 
lay.  Henrica's  was 
railed  round,  with  a 
paling  which  had  been 
fresh  painted  —  a  task 
which  Erlingsen  per- 
formed with  his  own 
hands  every  spring. 
The  forget-me-not, 
which  the  Nordlanders 
plant  upon  the  graves 
of  those  they  love, 
overran  the  hillock,  and 
the  white  blossoms  of 
the      wild       strawberry 

peeped  out  from  under  the  thick  grass ;  so  that  this 
grave  looked  a  perfect  contrast  to  that  of  Ulla,  newly 
made  and  bare.  The  lovers  looked  at  this  last  with 
dissatisfaction. 

"  It  shall  be  completely  railed  in  before  to-morrow 
night,"  said  Rolf. 

"But  cannot  we  dress  it  a  little  now?  I  could  trans- 
plant some  flower-roots  presently,  and  some  forget- 
me-not  from  Henrica's  hillock,  if  we  had  sods  for  the 
rest.  Never  mind  spoiling  any  other  nook.  The  grass 
will  soon  grow  again." 


f^-^ 


86  FEATS    0\   THE    FIORD. 

Rolf's  spado  was  busy  presently;  and  Erica  planted 
and  watered  till  the  new  grave,  if  it  did  not  compare 
with  the  child's,  showed  token  of  care,  and  promise  of 
beauty. 

"  Now,"  said  Rolf,  when  thc}-  had  done,  and  put  away 
their  tools,  and  sat  down  on  the  pine  log  from  which  the 
pales  were  to  be  mad-e,  so  that  their  lengthening  shadows 
fell  across  the  new  grave, —  "  now.  Erica,  you  know  what 
she  who  lies  there  would  like  us  to  be  settling.  She  her- 
self said  her  burial  day  w^ould  soon  be  over ;  and  then 
would  come  our  wedding-day." 

"When  everything  is  ready,"  replied  Erica,  "we  will 
fix;  but  not  now.  There  is  much  to  be  done; — there 
are  many  uncertainties." 

"Uncertainties!  What  uncertainties?  I  know  of 
none  —  except  indeed  as  to  —  " 

Rolf  stopped  to  peel  off,  and  pull  to  pieces,  some  of 
the  bark  of  the  pine  trunk  on  which  he  was  sitting. 
Erica  looked  wistfully  at  him  ;    he  saw  it,  and  went  on. 

"  It  is  often  an  uncertainty  to  me.  Erica,  after  all 
that  has  happened,  whether  you  mean  to  marry  me  at 
all.  There  are  so  many  doubts,  and  so  many  consider- 
ations, and  so  many  fears  ! —  I  often  think  we  shall 
never  be  any  nearer  than  we  are." 

"  That  is  your  sort  of  doubt  and  fear,"  said  Erica, 
smiling.      "  Who  is  there  that  entertains  a  worse?  " 

"  I  do  not  want  any  rallying  or  joking,  Erica.  I  am 
quite  serious." 

"Seriously  then  —  arc  wc  not  nearer  than  we  were  a 
}-car  ago?  We  are  betrothed;  and  I  have  shown  }-ou 
that  I  do  believe  we  are  to  be  married,  if — " 

"  A\',  there.      '  If  again." 

"  If  it  shall  please  the  Powers  above  us  not  to  sepa- 
rate us,  by  death  or  otherwise." 

"  Death  !  at  our  age  !  And  separation  !  when  we 
have  lived  on  the  same  farm  for  years  !  What  have 
we  to  do  with  death  and  separation?  " 

Erica  pointed  to  the  child's  grave,  in   rebuke  of  his 


FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD.  8/ 

rash  words.  She  then  quietly  observed  that  they  had 
enemies,  —  one  deadly  enemy  not  very  far  of,  if  nothing 
were  to  be  said  of  any  but  human  foes.  Rolf  declared 
that  he  had  rather  have  Hund  for  a  declared  enemy 
than  for  a  companion.  Erica  understood  this  very 
well ;  but  she  could  not  forget  that  Hund  wanted  to  be 
houseman  in  Rolf's  stead,  and  that  he  desired  to  pre- 
vent their  marriage. 

"  That  is  the  very  reason,"  said  Rolf,  "  why  we  should 
marry  as  soon  as  we  can.  Why  not  fix  the  da\',  and 
engage  the  pastor  while  he  is  here?  " 

"Because  it  would  hurt  Peder's  feelings.  There  will 
be  no  difficulty  in  sending  for  the  pastor  when  every- 
thing is  ready.  But  now,  Rolf,  that  all  may  go  well, 
do  promise  not  to  run  into  needless  danger." 

"According  to  )'Ou,"  said  Rolf,  smiling,  "one  can 
never  get  out  of  danger.  Where  is  the  use  of  taking 
care,  if  all  the  powers  of  earth  and  air  are  against  us? 
You  think  me  as  helpless,  under  Nipen's  breath,  as  the 
poor  infant  that  put  out  into  the  fiord  the  other  day  in 
a  tub." 

"  I  am  not  speaking  of  Nipen,  (not  because  I  do 
not  think  of  it.)  I  am  speaking  of  Hund.  Do 
promise  me  not  to  go  more  than  four  miles  down  the 
fiord.  After  that,  there  is  a  long  stretch  of  precipices, 
without  a  single  dwelling.  There  is  not  a  boat  that 
could  put  oft", —  there  is  not  an  eye  or  an  ear  that  could 
bear  witness  what  had  become  of  you,  if  you  and  Hund 
should  meet  there." 

"  If  Hund  and  I  should  meet  there,  I  would  bring 
him    home,   to    settle    what    should   become   of   him." 

"  And  all  the  pirates?  You  would  bring  them  all  in 
your  right  hand,  and  row  home  with  your  left!  For 
shame,  Rolf,  to  be  such  a  boaster  !  Promise  me  not 
to  go  beyond  the  four  miles." 

"  Indeed  I  can  only  promise  to  go  where  the  shoal 
is.  Four  miles !  Suppose  you  say  four  furlongs, 
love." 


88  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

"  I  will  engage  to  catch  herrings  within  four  fur- 
longs." 

"  Pray  take  me  with  }-ou  ;  and  then  I  will  carry  )-ou 
four  times  four  miles  down,  and  show  you  what  a  shoal 
is.  Really,  love,  I  should  like  to  prove  to  you  how 
safe  the  fiord  is  to  one  who  knows  every  nook  and 
hiding  place  from  the  entrance  up.  If  fighting  would 
not  do,  I  could  always  hide." 

"  And  would  not  Hund  know  where  to  look  for 
you  ? 

"  Not  he.  He  was  not  brought  up  on  the  fiord,  to 
know  its  wa}-s,  and  its  holes  and  corners :  and  I  told 
him  neither  that,  nor  anything  else  that  I  could  keep 
from  him  ;  for  I  always  mistrusted  Hund.  Now,  I  will 
tell  you,  love.  I  will  promise  you  something,  because 
I  do  not  w^ish  to  hurt  you,  as  you  sometimes  hurt  me 
with  disregarding  what  I  say,  —  with  being  afraid,  in 
spite  of  all  I  can  do  to  make  you  easy.  I  will  promise 
you  not  to  go  farther  down,  while  alone,  than  Vogel 
Islet,  unless  it  is  quite  certain  that  Hund  and  the  pirates 
are  far  enough  off  in  another  direction.  I  partly  think, 
as  you  do,  and  as  Erlingsen  does,  that  they  meant  to 
come  for  me  the  night  you  carried  off  their  boat:  so  I 
will  be  on  the  watch,  and  go  no  farther  than  where 
they  cannot  hurt  me." 

"Then  why  say  Vogel  Islet?  It  is  out  of  all  reason- 
able distance." 

"  Not  to  those  who  know  the  fiord  as  I  do.  I  have 
my  reasons.  Erica,  for  fixing  that  distance  and  no 
other ;  and  that  far  I  intend  to  go,  whether  my  friends 
think  me  able  to  take  care  of  myself  or  not." 

"  At  least,"  pleaded  Erica,  "let  me  go  wdth  you." 

"  Not  for  the  world,  my  love."  And  Erica  saw,  by 
his  look  of  horror  at  the  idea  of  her  going,  that  he  felt 
an}'thing  but  secure  from  the  pirates.  He  took  her 
hand,  and  kissed  it  again  and  again,  as  he  said  that 
there  was  plenty  for  that  little  hand  to  do  at  home,  in- 
stead of  pulling  the  oar  in  the  hot  sun.     "I  shall  think 


FEATS   ON   THE   FIORD.  89 

of  you  all  while  I  am  fishing,"  he  went  on.  "  I  shall 
fancy  you  making  ready  for  the  seater.*  As  you  go 
towards  Sulitelma  any  day  now,  you  may  hear  the 
voices  of  a  thousand  waterfalls,  calling  upon  the  herd- 
men  and  maidens  to  come  to  the  fresh  pastures.  How 
happy  we  shall  be,  Erica,  when  we  once  get  to  the 
seater !  " 

Erica  sighed,  and  pressed  her  lover's  hand  as  he  held 
hers. 

"While  I  am  fishing,"  he  went  on,  "I  shall  fancy  our 
young  mistresses,  and  Stiorna  and  you,  washing  all 
your  bowls  in  juniper-water,  ready  for  your  dairy.  I 
know  how  the  young  ladies  will  contrive  that  all  of  my 
carving  shall  come  under  your  hand.  And  I  shall  be 
back  with  my  fish  before  you  are  gone,  that  I  may 
walk  beside  your  cart.  I  know  just  how  far  you  will 
ride.  When  we  get  the  first  sight  of  the  grass  waving, 
as  the  wind  sweeps  over  it  on  the  mountain-side,  you 
will  spring  from  the  cart,  and  walk  with  me  all  the 
rest  of  the  way." 

"  All  this  would  be  well,"  said  Erica,  "  if  it  were  not 
for  —  " 

"For  what,  love?  For  Nipen,  again!  If  you  will 
not  mind  what  I  say  about  your  silly  fears,  you  shall 
hear  from  the  pastor  how  wicked  they  are.  I  see  him 
yonder,  in  the  garden.     I  will  call  him  —  " 

"  No,  no  !    I  know  all  he  has  to  say,"  declared  Erica. 

But  Rolf  carried  the  case  before  M.  KoUsen  :  and  M. 
KoUsen,  glad  of  every  opportunity  of  discoursing  on 
this  subject,  came  and  took  Rolf's  seat  and  said  all  he 


*  Each  Norway  farm  which  is  situated  within  a  certain  distance  of  the 
mountains  has  a  mountain  pasture,  to  which  the  herds  and  flocks  are 
driven  in  early  summer,  and  where  they  feed  till  the  first  frosts  come  on. 
The  herdmen  and  dairy-women  live  on  the  mountain  beside  their  cattle, 
during  this  season,  and  enjoy  the  mode  of  life  extremely.  The  mountain 
pasture  belonging  to  a  farm  is  called  the  seater.  The  procession  of  herds 
and  flocks,  and  herdmen  and  dairy-women  with  their  utensils,  all  winding 
up  the  mountain —  "going  to  the  seater"  —  is  a  pretty  sight  on  an  early 
summer's  day. 


90  FEATS    OX    'lllli    FIOKU. 

could  think  of  in  contempt  of  the  spirits  of  the  region, 
till  Erica's  blood  ran  cold  to  hear  him.  It  was  not 
kind  of  Rolf  to  expose  her  to  this:  but  Rolf  had  no 
fears  himself,  and  was  not  aware  how  much  she  sutlered 
under  what  the  clergyman  said.  The  lo\-er  stood  by 
watching,  and  was  so  charmed  with  her  gentle  and  sub- 
missi\'e  countenance  and  manner,  while  she  could  not 
own  herself  convinced,  that  he  almost  admired  her 
superstition,  and  forgave  her  doubts  of  his  being  able 
to  take  care  of  himself,  while  his  deadly  enem}'  on 
earth  might  possibly  be  assisted  by  the  offended  pow- 
ers of  the  air. 


FEATS    OX    THE    EloRD.  9I 

CHAPTER  VII. 

VOGEL    ISLET. 

Who  was  ever  happier  than  Rolf,  when  abroad  in 
his  skiff,  on  one  of  the  most  glorious  days  of  the  year? 
He  found  his  angling  tolerably  successful  near  home  ; 
but  the  farther  he  went,  the  more  the  herrings  abounded  ; 
and  he  therefore  dropped  down  the  fiord  with  tide,  fish- 
ing as  he  receded,  till  all  home  objects  had  disappeared. 
First,  the  farmhouse,  with  its  surrounding  buildings,  its 
green  paddock,  and  shining  white  beach,  was  hidden 
behind  the  projecting  rocks.  Then  Thor  Islet  appeared 
to  join  with  the  nearest  shore,  from  which  its  bushes 
of  stunted  birch  seemed  to  spring.  Then,  as  the  skiff 
dropped  lower  and  lower  down,  the  interior  mountains 
appeared  to  rise  above  the  rocks  which  closed  in  the 
head  of  the  fiord,  and  the  snowy  peak  of  Sulitelma 
stood  up  clear  amidst  the  pale  blue  sky ;  the  glaciers 
on  its  sides  catching  the  sunlight  on  different  points, 
and  glittering  so  that  the  eye  could  scarcely  endure  to 
rest  upon  the  mountain.  When  he  came  to  the  narrow 
part  of  the  fiord,  near  the  creek  which  had  been  the 
scene  of  Erica's  exploit,  Rolf  laid  aside  his  rod,  with 
the  bright  hook  that  herrings  so  much  admire,  to  guide 
his  canoe  through  the  currents  caused  by  the  approach 
of  the  rocks,  and  contraction  of  the  passage  ;  and  he 
then  wished  he  had  brought  Erica  with  him,  so  lovely 
was  the  scene.  Every  cre\ice  of  the  rocks,  even  where 
there  seemed  to  be  no  soil,  was  tufted  with  bushes, 
every  twig  of  which  was  bursting  into  the  greenest  leaf, 
while,  here  and  there,  a  clump  of  dark  pines  overhung 
some  busy  cataract,  which,  itself  overshadowed,  sent 
forth  its  little  clouds  of  spray,  dancing  and  glittering  in 
the  sunlight.      A  pair  of  fishing  eagles  were  perched  on 


92  FEATS    ().\    Till-:    FIORD. 

a  high  ledge  of  rock,  screaming  to  the  echoes,  so  that 
the  dash  of  the  currents  was  lost  in  the  din.  Rolf  did 
wish  that  Erica  was  here  when  he  thought  how  the 
color  would  have  mounted  into  her  cheek,  and  how  her 
eye  would  have  sparkled  at  such  a  scene. 

Lower  down,  it  was  scarcely  less  beautiful.  The 
waters  spread  out  again  to  a  double  width.  The  rocks 
were,  or  appeared  to  be  lower;  and  now  and  then,  in 
some  space  between  rock  and  rock,  a  strip  of  brilliant 
green  meadow  lay  open  to  the  sunshine ;  and  there 
were  large  flocks  of  fieldfares,  flying  round  and  round, 
to  exercise  the  newly  fledged  young.  There  were  a 
few  habitations  scattered  along  the  margin  of  the  fiord  ; 
and  two  or  three  boats  might  be  seen  far  off,  with 
diminutive  figures  of  men  drawing  their  nets. 

"  I  am  glad  I  brought  my  net  too,"  thought  Rolf. 
"My  rod  had  done  good  duty;  but  if  I  am  coming 
upon  a  shoal,  I  will  cast  my  net,  and  be  home,  laden 
with  fish,  before  they  think  of  looking  for  me." 

Happy  would  it  have  been  if  Rolf  had  cast  his  net 
where  others  were  content  to  fish,  and  had  given  up  all 
idea  of  going  farther  than  was  necessary:  but  his  boat 
was  still  dropping  down  towards  the  islet  which  he  had 
fixed  in  his  own  mind  as  the  limit  of  his  trip  ;  and  the 
long  solitary  reach  of  the  fiord  which  now  lay  between 
him  and  it  was  tempting  both  to  the  eye  and  the  mind. 
It  is  difficult  to  turn  back  from  the  first  summer-day 
trip,  in  countries  where  summer  is  less  beautiful  than 
in  Nordland  ;  and  on  went  Rolf,  beyond  the  bounds  of 
prudence,  as  many  have  done  before  him.  He  soon 
found  himself  in  a  still  and  somewhat  dreary  region, 
where  there  was  no  motion  but  of  the  sea-birds  which 
were  leading  their  broods  down  the  shores  of  the  fiords  ; 
and  of  the  air  which  appeared  to  quiver  before  the  eye, 
from  the  evaporation  caused  by  the  heat  of  the  sun. 
More  slowly  went  the  canoe  here,  as  if  to  suit  the 
quietness  of  the  scene,  and  leisurely  and  softly  did 
Rolf  cast  his   net :    and  then  steadily  did  he  draw  it  in, 


FEATS    ON    THE    FIORD. 


93 


so  rich  in  fish  that  when  they  lay  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  they  at  once  sank  it  deeper  in  the  water,  and 
checked  its  speed  by  their  weight. 

Rolf  then  rested  awhile,  and  looked  ahead  for  Vogel 
Islet,  thinking  that 
he  could  not  now 
be  very  far  from  it 
There  it  lay  loom 
ing  in  the  heated  at- 
mosphere, spread- 
ing as  if  in  the  air, 
just  above  the  sur- 
face of  the  water,  to 
which  it  appeared 
joined  in  the  middle 
by  a  dark  stem,  as  if 
it  grew  like  a  huge 
sea-flower.  There 
is  no  end  to  the 
strange  appear- 
ances presented  in 
northern  climates 
by  an  atmosphere 
so    different    from 

ourown.      Rolf  ^       ._ 

gazed     and     gazed  p-   .     ■    T  " 

as  the   island    grew 
more  like  itself  on  ' 

his  approach ;  and  he  was  so  occupied  with  it  as  not  to 
look  about  him  as  he  ought  to  have  done  at  such  a 
distance  from  home.  He  was  roused  at  length  by  a 
shout,  and  looked  towards  the  point  from  which  it  came  ; 
and  there,  in  a  little  harbor  of  the  fiord,  a  recess  which 
now  actually  lay  behind  him — between  him  and  home — 
lay  a  vessel ;  and  that  vessel,  he  knew  by  a  second 
glance,  was  the  pirate  schooner. 

Of  the  schooner  itself  he  had  no  fear,  for  there  was 
so  little  wind  that  it  could  not  have  come  out  in  time  to 


94  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 

anno}-  him  ;  but  there  was  the  schooner's  boat,  with 
five  men  in  it  —  four  rowing  and  one  steering —  already 
in  full  pursuit  of  him.  He  knew,  by  the  general  air 
and  nativ^e  dress  of  the  man  at  the  helm,  that  it  was 
Hund ;  and  he  fancied  he  heard  Hund's  malicious  voice 
in  the  shout  which  came  rushing  over  the  water  from 
their  boat  to  his.  How  fast  they  seemed  to  be  com- 
ing !  How  the  spray  from  their  oars  glittered  in  the 
sun,  and  how  their  wake  lengthened  with  every  stroke! 
No  spectator  from  the  shore  (if  there  had  been  any) 
could  have  doubted  that  the  boat  was  in  pursuit  of  the 
skiff,  and  would  snap  it  up  presenth'.  Rolf  saw  that 
he  had  five  determined  foes  gaining  upon  him  every 
instant ;  and  yet  he  was  not  alarmed.  He  had  had 
his  reasons  for  thinking  himself  safe  near  Vogel  Islet; 
and  calculating  for  a  moment  the  time  of  the  tide,  he 
was  quite  at  his  ease.  As  he  took  his  oars  he  smiled 
at  the  hot  haste  of  his  pursuers,  and  at  the  thought  of 
the  amazement  they  would  feel  when  he  slipped  through 
their  fingers;    and  then  he  began  to  row. 

Rolf  did  not  overheat  himself  with  too  much  exer- 
tion. He  permitted  his  foes  to  gain  a  little  upon  him, 
though  he  might  have  preserved  the  distance  for  as 
long  as  his  strength  could  have  held  out  against  that  of 
the  four  in  the  other  boat.  They  ceased  their  shouting 
when  they  saw  how  quietly  he  took  his  danger.  They 
really  believed  that  he  was  not  aware  of  being  their 
object,  and  hoped  to  seize  him  suddenly-,  before  he  had 
time  to  resist. 

When  very  near  the  islet,  however,  Rolf  became 
more  active,  and  his  skiff  disappeared  behind  its  south- 
ern point  while  the  enemy's  boat  was  still  two  furlongs 
off.  The  steersman  looked  for  the  reappearance  of  the 
canoe  beyond  the  islet;  but  he  looked  in  vain.  He 
thought,  and  his  companions  agreed  with  him,  that  it 
was  foolish  of  Rolf  to  land  upon  the  islet,  where  they 
could  lay  hands  on  him  in  a  moment;  but  they  could 
only  suppose  he  had  done  this,  and  prepared  to  do  the 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 


95 


same.  They  rowed  quite  round  the  islet;  but,  to  their 
amazement,  they  could  not  only  perceive  no  place  to 
land  at,  but  there  was  no  trace  of  the  canoe.  It  seemed 
to  them  as  if  those 

calm  and  clear  wa-  ^^  ^  - 

ters  had  swallowed 
up  the  skiff  and 
Rolf  in  the  few  min- 
utes after  they  had 
lost  sight  of  him. 
Hund  thought  the 
case  was  accounted 
for  when  he  recalled 
Nipen's  displeasure. 
A  thrill  ran  through 
him    as  he   said   to 

himself  that  the  spirits  of  the  region  had  joined  with 
him  against  Rolf,  and  swallowed  up,  almost  before  his 
eyes,  the  man  he  hated.  He  put  his  hands  before  his 
face  for  a  moment,  while  his  comrades  stared  at  him ; 
then,  thinking  he  must  be  under  a  delusion,  he  gazed 
earnestly  over  the  waters  as  far  as  he  could  see.  They 
lay  calm  and  bright,  and  there  was  certainly  no  kind 
of  vessel  on  their  surface  for  miles  round. 

The  rowers  wondered,  questioned,  uttered  shouts, 
spoke  all  together,  and  then  looked  at  Hund  in  silence, 
struck  by  his  countenance,  and  finished  by  rowing  two 
or  three  times  round  the  islet  slowly,  and  looking  up 
its  bare  rocky  sides,  which  rose  like  walls  from  the 
water;  but  nothing  could  they  see  or  hear.  When 
tired  of  their  fruitless  search,  they  returned  to  the 
schooner,  ready  to  report  to  the  master  that  the  fiord 
was  enchanted. 

Meantime,  Rolf  had  heard  every  plash  of  their  oars, 
and  every  tone  of  their  voices,  as  they  rowed  round  his 
place  of  refuge.  He  was  not  on  the  islet,  but  in  it. 
This  was  such  an  island  as  Swein,  the  sea-king  of 
former  days,  took  refuge  in;   and  Rolf  was  only  follow- 


96  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 

ing  his  example.  Long  before,  he  had  discovered  a 
curious  cleft  in  the  rock,  very  narrow,  and  all  but  in- 
visible at  high  water,  even  if  a  bush  of  dwarf-ash  and 
birch  had  not  hung  down  over  it.  At  high  water,  noth- 
ing larger  than  a  bird  could  go  in  and  out  beneath  the 
low  arch  ;  but  there  was  a  cavern  within,  whose  sandy- 
floor  sloped  up  to  some  distance  above  high-water 
mark.  In  this  cavern  was  Rolf.  He  had  thrust  his 
little  skiff  between  the  walls  of  rock,  crushing  in  its  sides 
as  he  did  so.  The  bushes  drooped  behind  him,  hang- 
ing naturally  over  the  entrance  as  before.  Rolf  pulled 
up  his  broken  vessel  upon  the  little  sandy  beach,  within 
the  cave,  saved  a  pile  of  his  fish,  and  returned  a 
good  many  to  the  water,  and  then  sat  down  upon  the 
seaweeds  to  listen.  There  was  no  light  but  a  little 
which  found  its  way  through  the  bushy  screen  and  up 
from  the  green  water;  and  the  sounds  —  the  tones  of 
the  pirates'  voices,  and  the  splash  of  the  waters  against 
the  rocky  walls  of  his  singular  prison  —  came  deadened 
and  changed  to  his  ear;  yet  he  heard  enough  to  be 
aware  how  long  his  enemies  remained,  and  when  they 
were  really  gone. 

It  was  a  prison  indeed,  as  Rolf  reflected  when  he 
looked  upon  his  broken  skiff.  He  could  not  imagine 
how  he  was  to  get  away ;  for  his  friends  would  certainly 
never  think  of  coming  to  look  for  him  here ;  but  he 
put  oft"  the  consideration  of  this  point  for  the  present, 
and  turned  away  from  the  image  of  Erica's  distress 
when  he  should  fail  to  return.  He  amused  himself 
now  with  imagining  Hund's  disappointment,  and  the 
reports  which  would  arise  from  it ;  and  he  found  this 
so  very  entertaining  that  he  laughed  aloud ;  and  then 
the  echo  of  his  laughter  sounded  so  very  merry  that  it 
set  him  laughing  again.  This,  in  its  turn,  seemed  to  rouse 
the  eider-ducks  that  thronged  the  island ;  and  their 
clatter  and  commotion  was  so  great  overhead  that  any 
spectator  might  have  been  excused  for  believing  that 
Voeel  Islet  was  indeed  bewitched. 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  9/ 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

A    SUMMER    APARTMENT. 

"  Humph  !  How  little  did  the  rare  old  sea-king 
think,"  said  Rolf  to  himself,  as  he  surveyed  his  cav^e  — 
"  how  little  did  Swein  think,  when  he  played  this  very 
trick,  six  hundred  years  ago,  that  it  would  save  a  poor 
farm-servant  from  being  murdered,  so  many  centuries 
after !  Many  thanks  to  my  good  grandmother  for 
being  so  fond  of  that  story  !  She  taught  it  thoroughly 
to  me  before  she  died  ;  and  that  is  the  reason  of  my 
being  safe  at  this  moment.  I  wish  I  had  told  the 
people  at  home  of  my  having  found  this  cave  ;  for,  as 
it  is,  they  cannot  but  think  me  lost ;  and  how  Erica 
will  bear  it  I  don't  know.  And  yet,  if  I  had  told  them, 
Hund  would  have  heard  it ;  or,  at  least,  Stiorna,  and 
she  would  have  managed  to  let  him  know.  Perhaps  it 
is  best  as  it  is,  if  only  I  can  get  back  in  .time  to  sav-e 
Erica's  heart  from  breaking.  But  for  her,  I  should  not 
mind  the  rest  being  in  a  fright  for  a  day  or  two.  They 
are  a  little  apt  to  fancy  that  the  affairs  of  the  farm  go 
by  nature  —  that  the  fields  and  the  cattle  take  care  of 
themselves.  They  treat  me  liberally  enough  ;  but  they 
are  not  fully  aware  of  the  value  of  a  man  like  me;  and 
now  they  will  learn.  They  will  hardly  know  how  to 
make  enough  of  me  when  1  go  back.  Oddo  will  be  the 
first  to  see  me.  I  think,  however,  I  should  let  them 
hear  my  best  song  from  a  distance.  Let  me  see  — 
which  song  shall  it  be?  It  must  be  one  which  will 
strike  Peder ;  for  he  will  be  the  first  to  hear,  as  Oddo 
always  is  to  see.  Some  of  them  will  think  it  is  a  spirit 
mocking,  and  some  that  it  is  my  ghost;  and  my  master 
and  madam  will  take  it  to  be  nothing  but  my  own  self. 
And  then,  in  the  doubt  among  all  these,  my  poor  Erica 


98  FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD. 

will  faint  away;  and  while  thc>'arc  throwing  water  upon 
her  face,  and  putting  some  camphorated  brandy  into 
her  mouth,  I  shall  quietly  step  in  among  them,  and 
grasp  Peder's  arm,  and  pull  Oddo's  hair,  to  show  that 
it  is  I  myself;  and  when  Erica  opens  her  eyes,  she  shall 
see  my  face  at  its  very  merriest ;  so  that  she  cannot 
possibly  take  me  for  a  sad  and  solemn  ghost.  And 
the  next  thing  will  be —  " 

He  stopped  with  a  start,  as  his  eye  fell  upon  his 
crushed  boat,  lying  on  its  side,  half  in  the  water  and 
half  out. 

"Ah  !  "  thought  he,  in  a  changed  mood,  "  this  is  all 
very  fine  —  this  planning  how  one  pleasant  thing  will 
follow  upon  another ;  but  I  forgot  the  first  thing  of  all. 
I  must  learn  first  how  I  am  to  get  out." 

He  turned  his  boat  about  and  about,  and  shook  his 
head  over  every  bruise,  hole,  or  crack  that  he  found, 
till  he  finished  with  a  nod  of  decision  that  nothing  could 
be  done  with  it.  He  was  a  good  swimmer;  but  the 
nearest  point  of  the  shore  was  so  far  off  that  it  would  be 
all  he  could  do  to  reach  it  when  the  waters  were  in 
their  most  favorable  state.  At  present,  they  were  so 
chilled  with  the  melted  snows  that  were  pouring  down 
from  every  steep  along  the  fiord,  that  he  doubted  the 
safety  of  attempting  to  swim  at  all.  What  chance  of 
release  had  he  then? 

If  he  could  by  any  means  climb  upon  the  rocks  in 
whose  recesses  he  was  now  hidden,  he  might  possibly 
fall  in  with  some  fishing-boat  which  would  fetch  him 
off;  but,  besides  that  the  pirates  were  more  likely  to 
see  him  than  anybody  else,  he  believed  there  was 
no  way  by  which  he  could  climb  upon  the  islet.  It  had 
always  been  considered  the  exclusive  property  of  the 
aquatic  birds  with  which  it  swarmed,  because  its  sides 
rose  so  abruptly  from  the  water,  so  like  the  smooth 
stone  walls  of  a  lofty  building,  that  there  was  no  hold 
for  foot  or  hand,  and  the  summit  seemed  unattainable 
by  anything   that   had  not    wings.      Rolf  remembered, 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  99 

however,  having  heard  Peder  say  that  when  he  was 
young  there  might  be  seen  hanging  down  one  part  of 
the  precipice  the  remains  of  a  birchen  ladder,  which 
must  have  been  made  and  placed  there  by  human 
hands.  Rolf  determined  that  he  would  try  the  point. 
He  would  wait  till  the  tide  was  flowing  in,  as  the  waters 
from  the  open  sea  were  somewhat  less  chilled  than 
when  returning  from  the  head  of  the  fiord ;  he  would 
take  the  waters  at  their  warmest,  and  try  and  try  again 
to  make  a  footing  upon  the  islet.  Meantime  he  would 
not  trouble  himself  with  thoughts  of  being  a  prisoner. 
His  cave  was  really  a  very  pretty  place.  As  its 
opening  fronted  the  west,  he  found  that  even  here  there 
might  be  sunshine.  The  golden  light  which  blesses 
the  high  and  low  places  of  the  earth  did  not  disdain  to 
cheer  and  adorn  even  this  humble  chamber,  which,  at 
the  bidding  of  nature,  the  waters  had  patiently  scooped 
out  of  the  hard  rock.  Some  hours  after  darkness  had 
settled  down  on  the  lands  of  the  tropics,  and  long  after 
the  stars  had  come  out  in  the  skies  over  English  heads, 
this  cave  was  at  its  brightest.  As  the  sun  drew  to  its 
setting,  near  the  middle  of  the  Nordland  summer  night, 
it  levelled  its  golden  rays  through  the  cleft,  and  made 
the  place  far  more  brilliant  than  at  noon.  The  projec- 
tions of  the  rough  rock  caught  the  beam,  during  the 
few  minutes  that  it  stayed,  and  shone  with  a  bright 
orange  tint.  The  beach  suddenly  appeared  of  a  more 
dazzling  white,  and  the  waters  of  a  deeper  green,  while, 
by  their  motion,  they  cast  quivering  circles  of  reflected 
light  upon  the  roof,  which  had  before  been  invisible. 
Rolf  took  this  brief  opportunity  to  survey  his  abode 
carefully.  He  had  supposed,  from  the  pleasant  fresh- 
ness of  the  air,  that  the  cave  was  lofty;  and  he  now  saw 
that  the  roof  did  indeed  spring  up  to  a  vast  height. 
He  saw  also  that  there  was  a  great  deal  of  driftwood 
accumulated ;  and  some  of  it  thrown  into  such  distant 
corners  as  to  prove  that  the  waves  could  dash  up  to  a 
much  higher  water-line,  in  stormy  weather,  than  he  had 


100  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

supposed.  No  matter !  He  hoped  to  be  gone  before 
there  were  any  more  storms.  Tired  and  sleepy  as  he 
was,  so  near  midnight,  he  made  an  exertion,  while  there 
was  plenty  of  light,  to  clear  away  the  seaweeds  from  a 
space  on  the  sand  where  he  must  to-morrow  make  his 
fire,  and  broil  his  fish.  The  smell  of  the  smallest  quan- 
tity of  burnt  weed  would  be  intolerable  in  so  confined 
a  place ;  so  he  cleared  away  every  sprout  of  it,  and 
laid  some  of  the  driftwood  on  a  spot  above  high-water 
mark,  picking  out  the  driest  pieces  of  firewood  he 
could  find  for  kindling  a  flame. 

When  this  was  done,  he  could  have  found  in  his 
heart  to  pick  up  shells,  so  various  and  beautiful  were 
those  which  strewed  the  floor  of  his  cave :  but  the 
sunbeam  was  rapidly  climbing  the  wall,  and  would 
presently  be  gone,  so  he  let  the  shells  lie  till  the  next 
night  (if  he  should  still  be  here),  and  made  haste  to 
heap  up  a  bed  of  fine  dry  sand  in  a  corner ;  and  here 
he  lay  down  as  the  twilight  darkened,  and  thought  he 
had  never  rested  on  so  soft  a  bed.  He  knew  it  was 
near  high  water,  and  he  tried  to  keep  awake,  to  ascer- 
tain how  nearly  the  tide  filled  up  the  entrance  ;  but  he 
was  too  weary,  and  his  couch  was  too  comfortable  for 
this.  His  eyes  closed  in  spite  of  him,  and  he  dreamed 
that  he  was  broad  awake  watching  the  height  of  the 
tide.  For  this  one  night,  he  could  rest  without  any 
very  painful  thoughts  of  poor  Erica,  for  she  was  pre- 
pared for  his  remaining  out  till  the  middle  of  the  next 
day,  at  least. 

When  he  awoke  in  the  morning,  the  scene  was  mar- 
vellously changed  from  that  on  which  he  had  closed 
his  eyes.  His  cave  was  so  dim  that  he  could  scarcely 
distinguish  its  white  floor  from  its  rocky  sides.  The 
water  was  low,  and  the  cleft  therefore  enlarged,  so  that 
he  saw  at  once  that  now  was  the  time  for  making  his 
fire — now  when  there  was  the  freest  access  for  the  air. 
Yet  he  could  not  help  pausing  to  admire  what  he  saw. 
He  could  see  now  a  long  strip  of  the  fiord,  —  a  per- 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD.  lOI 

spective  of  waters  and  of  shores,  ending  in  a  loft}-  peak 
still  capped  with  snow,  and  glittering  in  the  sunlight. 
The  whole  landscape  was  bathed  in  light,  as  warm  as 
noon  ;  for,  though  it  was  only  six  in  the  morning,  the 
sun  had  been  up  for  several  hours.  As  Rolf  gazed, 
and  reckoned  up  the  sum  of  what  he  saw,  —  the  many 
miles  of  water,  and  the  long  range  of  rocks,  —  he  felt,  for 
a  moment,  as  if  not  yet  secure  from  Hund,  as  if  he 
must  be  easily  visible  while  he  saw  so  much.  But  it 
was  not  so,  and  Rolf  smiled  at  his  own  momentar}'  fear 
when  he  remembered  how,  as  a  child,  he  had  tried  to 
count  the  stars  he  could  see  at  once  through  a  hole 
pricked  by  a  needle  in  a  piece  of  paper,  and  how,  for 
that  matter,  all  that  we  ever  see  is  through  the  little 
circle  of  the  pupil  of  the  eye.  He  smiled  when  he 
considered  that  while,  from  his  recess,  he  could  see  the 
united  navy  of  Norway  and  Denmark,  if  anchored  in 
the  fiord,  his  enemy  could  not  see  even  his  habitation, 
otherwise  than  by  peeping  under  the  bushes  which 
overhung  the  cleft,  and  this  only  at  low  water;  so  he 
began  to  sing,  while  rubbing  together,  with  all  his 
might,  the  dry  sticks  of  fir  with  which  his  fire  was  to 
be  kindled.  First  they  smoked,  and  then,  by  a  skilful 
breath  of  air,  they  blazed,  and  set  fire  to  the  heap  ; 
and  by  the  time  the  herrings  were  ready  for  broiling, 
the  cave  was  so  filled  with  smoke  that  Rolf's  singing 
was  turned  to  coughing. 

Some  of  the  smoke  hung  in  soot  on  the  roof  and 
walls  of  the  cave,  curling  up  so  well  at  first,  that  Rolf 
almost  thought  there  must  be  some  opening  in  the 
lofty  roof  which  served  as  a  chimney ;  but  there  was 
not,  and  some  of  the  smoke  came  down  again,  issuing 
at  last  from  the  mouth  of  the  cave.  Rolf  observed 
this,  and,  seeing  the  danger  of  his  place  of  retreat 
being  thus  discovered,  he  made  haste  to  finish  his 
cookery,  resolving  that,  if  he  had  to  remain  here  for 
any  length  of  time,  he  would  always  make  his  fire  in 
the  night.      He  presently  threw  water  over  his  burning 


I02 


FEATS    OX    THE    FIORI). 


brands,  and   hoped  that  nothing  had   been  seen  of  the 
process  of  preparing  his  breakfast. 

The  smoke  had  been  seen,  however,  and  by  several 
people,  but  in  such  a  way  as  to  lead  to  no  discovery  of 

the  cave.  From 
the  schooner,  Hund 
kept  his  eyes  fixed 
on  the  islet,  at  every 
moment  he  had  to 
spare.  Either  he 
was  the  murderer  of 
h  i  s  fellow-servant, 
or  the  islet  was 
bewitched ;  and  if 
Rolf  was  under  the 
protection  and  fa- 
vor of  the  powers 
of  the  region,  he, 
Hund,  was  out  of 
favor,  and  might 
expect  bad  conse- 
quences. Which- 
ever might  be  the 
_  case,    Hund    was 

"^        i__  -  very    uneasy ;     and 

"'"w,^^  he  could    think    of 

nothing  but  the  is- 
let, and  look  no  other  way.  His  companions  had  at 
first  joked  him  about  his  luck  in  getting  rid  of  his 
enemies,  but,  being  themselves  superstitious,  they 
caught  the  infection  of  his  gravity,  and  watched  the 
spot  almost  as  carefully  as  he. 

As  their  vessel  lay  higher  up  in  the  fiord  than  the  islet, 
they  w'ere  on  the  opposite  side  from  the  crevice,  and 
could  not  see  from  whence  the  smoke  issued.  But 
they  saw  it  in  the  form  of  a  light  cloud  hanging  over  the 
place.  Hund's  eyes  were  fixed  upon  it,  when  one  of  his 
comrades  touched  him  on  the  shoulder.      Hund  started. 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  IO3 

"  You  see  there,"  said  the  man,  pointing. 

"  To  be  sure  I  do  ;   what  else  was  I  looking  at?  " 

"Well,  what  is  it?"  inquired  the  man.  "  Has  your 
friend  got  a  visitor,  —  come  a  great  way  this  morning? 
They  say  the  mountain-sprite  travels  in  mist ;  if  so,  it 
is  now  going  ;  see,  there  it  sails  ofif,  —  melts  away.  It 
is  as  like  common  smoke  as  anything  that  ever  I  saw. 
What  say  you  to  taking  the  boat,  and  trying  again 
whether  there  is  no  place  where  your  friend  might  not 
land,  and  be  now  making  a  fire  among  the  birds' 
nests?  " 

"  Nonsense  !  "  cried  Hund.  "  What  became  of  the 
skiff,  then?  " 

"True,"  said  the  man;  and,  shaking  his  head,  he 
passed  on,  and  spoke  to  the  master. 

In  his  own  secret  mind,  the  master  of  the  schooner 
did  not  quite  like  his  present  situation.  The  little  har- 
bor was  well  sheltered  and  hidden  from  the  observation 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  upper  part  of  the  fiord :  but, 
after  hearing  the  words  dropped  by  his  crew,  the 
master  did  not  relish  being  stationed  between  the  be- 
witched islet  and  the  head  of  the  fiord,  where  all  the 
residents  were,  of  course,  enemies.  He  thought  that 
it  would  be  wiser  to  have  a  foe  only  on  the  one  hand, 
and  the  open  sea  on  the  other,  even  at  the  sacrifice  of 
the  best  anchorage.  As  there  w^as  now  a  light  wind, 
enough  to  take  his  vessel  down,  he  gave  orders  accord- 
ingly. 

Slowly,  and  at  some  distance,  the  schooner  passed 
the  islet,  and  all  on  board  crowded  together  to  see 
what  they  could  see.  None  —  not  even  the  master 
with  his  glass — saw  anything  remarkable:  but  all 
heard  something.  There  was  a  faint  muffled  sound 
of  knocks,  —  blows  such  as  were  never  heard  in  a 
mere  haunt  of  sea-birds.  It  was  evident  that  the  birds 
were  disturbed  by  it ;  they  rose  and  fell,  made  short 
flights  and  came  back  again,  fluttered,  and  sometimes 
screamed  so  as  to  overpower  all  other  sounds.     But  if 


104  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 

they  were  quiet  for  a  minute,  the  knock,  knock,  was 
heard  again,  with  great  regularity,  and  every  knock 
went  to  Hund's  heart. 

The  fact  was,  that  after  breakfast,  Rolf  soon  became 
tired  of  having  nothing  to  do.  The  water  was  so  ver)" 
cold,  that  he  deferred  till  noon  the  attempt  to  swim 
round  the  islet.  He  once  more  examined  his  boat, 
and  though  the  injuries  done  seemed  irreparable,  he 
thought  he  had  better  try  to  mend  his  little  craft  than 
do  nothing.  After  collecting  from  the  wood  in  the 
cave  all  the  nails  that  happened  to  be  sticking  in  it, 
and  all  the  pieces  that  were  sound  enough  to  patch  a 
boat  with,  he  made  a  stone  serve  him  for  a  hammer, 
straightened  his  nails  upon  another  stone,  and  tried  to 
fasten  on  a  piece  of  wood  over  a  hole.  It  was  dis- 
couraging work  enough,  but  it  helped  to  pass  the  hours 
till  the  restless  waters  should  have  reached  their  high- 
est mark  in  the  cave,  when  he  would  know  that  it  was 
noon,  and  time  for  his  little  expedition. 

He  sighed  as  he  threw  down  his  awkward  new  tools 
and  pulled  off  his  jacket,  for  his  heart  now  began  to 
grow  \-ery  heavy.  It  was  about  the  time  when  Erica 
would  be  beginning  to  look  for  his  return,  and  when  or 
how  he  was  ever  to  return  he  became  less  able  to 
imagine,  the  more  he  thought  about  it.  As  he  fancied 
Erica  gazing  down  the  fiord  from  the  gallery,  or  steal- 
ing out,  hour  after  hour,  to  look  forth  from  the  beach, 
and  only  to  be  disappointed  c\-cr}'  time,  till  she  would 
be  obliged  to  give  him  quite  up,  and  yield  to  despair, 
Rolf  shed  tears.  It  was  the  first  time  for  some  years, 
—  the  first  time  since  he  had  been  a  man,  and  when 
he  saw  his  own  tears  fall  upon  the  sand,  he  was 
ashamed.  He  blushed,  as  if  he  had  not  been  all 
alone,  dashed  away  the  drops,  and  threw  himself  into 
the  water. 

It  was  too  cold  by  far  for  safe  swimming.  All  the 
snows  of  Sulitelma  could  hardly  have  made  the  waters 
more  chilly  to  the  swimmer  than  they  felt  at  the  first 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 05 

plunge  ;  but  Rolf  would  not  retreat  for  this  reason.  He 
thought  of  the  sunshine  outside,  and  of  the  free  open 
view  he  should  enjoy,  dived  beneath  the  almost  closed 
entrance,  and  came  up  on  the  other  side.  The  first 
thing  he  saw  was  the  schooner,  now  lying  below  his 
island  ;  and  the  next  thing  was  a  small  boat  between 
him  and  it,  evidently  making  towards  him.  When  con- 
vinced that  Hund  was  one  of  the  three  men  in  it,  he 
saw  that  he  must  go  back,  or  make  haste  to  finish  his 
expedition.  He  made  haste,  swam  round  so  close  as 
to  touch  the  warm  rock  in  many  places,  and  could  not 
discover,  any  more  than  before,  any  trace  of  a  footing 
by  which  a  man  might  climb  to  the  summit.  There 
was  a  crevice  or  two,  however,  from  which  vegetation 
hung,  still  left  unsearched.  He  could  not  search  them 
now,  for  he  must  make  haste  home. 

The  boat  was  indeed  so  near  when  he  had  reached 
the  point  he  set  out  from,  that  he  used  every  effort  to 
conceal  himself;  and  it  seemed  that  he  could  only  have 
escaped  by  the  eyes  of  his  enemies  being  fixed  on  the 
summit  of  the  rock.  When  once  more  in  the  cave,  he 
rather  enjoyed  hearing  them  come  nearer  and  nearer, 
so  that  the  bushes  which  hung  down  between  him  and 
them  shook  with  the  wind  of  their  oars,  and  dipped 
into  the  waves.  He  laughed  silently  when  he  heard 
one  of  them  swear  that  he  would  not  leave  the  spot 
till  he  had  seen  something,  upon  which  another  rebuked 
his  presumption.  Presently,  a  voice,  which  he  knew 
to  be  Hund's,  called  upon  his  name,  at  first  gently,  and 
then  more  and  more  loudly,  as  if  taking  courage  at  not 
being  answered. 

"  I  will  wait  till  he  rounds  the  point,"  thought  Rolf, 
"  and  then  give  him  such  an  answer  as  may  send  a 
guilty  man  away  quicker  than  he  came." 

He  waited  till  they  were  on  the  opposite  side,  so 
that  his  voice  might  appear  to  come  from  the  summit 
of  the  islet,  and  then  began  with  the  melancholy  sound 
used  to  lure  the  plover  on  the  moors.     The  men   in  the 


I06  FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD. 

boat  instantl}'  observed  that  this  was  the  same  sound 
used  when  Erhngsen's  boat  was  spirited  awa}'  from 
them.  It  was  rather  singular  tliat  Rolf  and  Oddo 
should  have  used  the  same  sound,  but  they  probably 
chose  it  as  the  most  mournful  they  knew.  Rolf,  how- 
ever, did  not  stop  there ;  he  moaned  louder  and  louder, 
till  the  sound  resembled  the  bellowing  of  a  tormented 
spirit  enclosed  in  the  rock ;  and  the  consequence  was, 
as  he  had  said,  that  his  enemies  retreated  faster  than 
they  came.  Never  had  they  rowed  more  vigorously 
than  now,  fetching  a  large  circuit,  to  keep  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance from  the  spot,  as  they  passed  westward. 

For  the  next  few  days  Rolf  kept  a  close  watch  upon 
the  proceedings  of  the  pirates,  and  saw  enough  of  their 
thievery  to  be  able  to  lay  informations  against  them,  if 
ever  he  should  again  make  his  way  to  a  town  or  village, 
and  see  the  face  of  a  magistrate.  He  was  glad  of  the 
interest  and  occupation  thus  afforded  him,  —  of  even 
this  slight  hope  of  being  useful ;  for  he  saw  no  more 
probability  than  on  the  first  day,  of  release  from  his 
prison.  The  worst  of  it  was  that  the  season  for  boating 
was  nearly  at  an  end.  The  inhabitants  were  day  by  day 
dri\'ing  their  cattle  up  the  mountains,  there  to  remain 
for  the  summer ;  and  the  heads  of  families  remained  in 
the  farmhouses,  almost  alone,  and  little  likely  to  put 
out  so  far  into  the  fiord  as  to  pass  near  him.  So  poor 
Rolf  could  only  catch  fish  for  his  support,  swim  round 
and  round  his  prison,  and  venture  a  little  further,  on 
days  when  the  water  felt  rather  less  cold  than  usual. 
To  drive  off  thoughts  of  his  poor  distressed  Erica,  he 
sometimes  hammered  a  little  at  his  skiff;  but  it  was  too 
plain  that  no  botching  that  he  could  perform  in  the 
cave  would  render  the  broken  craft  safe  to  float  in. 

One  sunny  day,  when  the  tide  was  flowing  in  warmer 
than  usual,  Rolf  amused  himself  with  more  evolutions 
in  bathing  than  he  had  hitherto  indulged  in.  He  for- 
got his  troubles  and  his  foes  in  diving,  floating,  and 
swimming.     As  he  dashed  round  a  point  of  the    rock, 


PLEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 


107 


he  saw  something,  and  was  certain  he  was  seen.  Hund 
appeared  at  least  as  much  bewitched  as  the  island  itself, 
for  he  could  not  keep  away  from  it.  He  seemed  irre- 
sistibly drawn  to  the  scene  of  his  guilt  and  terror. 
Here  he  was  now,  with  one  other  man,  in  the  schooner's 
smallest  boat.  Rolf  had  to  determine  in  an  instant  what 
to  do,  for  they  were  within  a  hundred  yards,  and 
Hund's  starting  eyes  showed  that  he  saw  what  he  took 
for  the  ghost  of  his  fellow-servant.  Rolf  raised  himself 
as  high  as  he  could  out  of  the  water,  throwing  his  arms 
up  above  his  head,  fixed  his  eyes  on  Hund,  uttered  a 
shrill  cry,  and  dived,  hoping  to  rise  to  the  surface  at 
some  point  out  of  sight.  Hund  looked  no  more. 
After  one  shriek  of  terror  and  remorse  had  burst  from 
his  white  lips,  he  sank  his  head  upon  his  knees,  and  let 
his  comrade  take  all  the  trouble  of  rowing  home  again. 

This  vision  decided 
Hund's  proceedings. 
Half-crazed  with  re- 
morse, he  left  the 
pirates  that  night. 
After  long  consider- 
ation where  to  go, 
he  decided  upon  re- 
turning to  Erling- 
sen's.  He  did  not 
know  to  what  ex- 
tent they  suspected  him ;  he  was  pretty  sure  that 
they  held  no  proofs  against  him.  Nowhere  else  could 
he  be  sure  of  honest  work,  —  the  first  object  with  him 
now,  in  the  midst  of  his  remorse.  He  felt  irresistibly 
drawn  towards  poor  Erica,  now  that  no  rival  was  there ; 
and  if,  mixed  with  all  these  considerations,  there  were 
some  thoughts  of  the  situation  of  houseman  being  va- 
cant, and  needing  much  to  be  filled  up,  it  is  no  wonder 
that  such  a  mingling  of  motives  took  place  in  a  mind 
so  selfish  as  Hund's. 


I08  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Hl'ND'S    REPORT. 

HUND  performed  his  journc\'  by  ni^^ht, —  a  journey 
perfectly  unlike  any  that  was  ever  performed  by  night 
in  England.  He  did  not  for  a  moment  think  of  going 
by  the  fiord,  short  and  easy  as  it  would  have  been  in 
comparison  with  the  land  road.  He  would  rather  have 
mounted  all  the  steeps,  and  crossed  the  snows  of  Suli- 
telma  itself,  many  times  over,  than  have  put  himself  in 
the  way  a  second  time  of  such  a  vision  as  he  had  seen. 
Laboriously  and  diligently,  therefore,  he  overcame  the 
difficulties  of  the  path,  crossing  ravines,  wading  through 
swamps,  scaling  rocks,  leaping  across  watercourses, 
and  only  now  and  then  throwing  himself  down  on  some 
tempting  slope  of  grass,  to  wipe  his  brows,  and,  where 
opportunity  offered,  to  moisten  his  parched  throat  with 
the  wild  strawberries  which  were  fast  ripening  in  the 
sheltered  nooks  of  the  hills.  It  was  now  so  near  mid- 
summer, and  the  nights  were  so  fast  melting  into  the 
days,  that  Hund  could  at  the  latest  scarcely  see  a  star, 
though  there  was  not  a  fleece  of  cloud  in  the  whole 
circle  of  the  heavens.  While  }'et  the  sun  was  sparkling 
on  the  fiord,  and  glittering  on  every  farmhouse  window 
that  fronted  the  west,  all  around  was  as  still  as  if  the 
deepest  darkness  had  settled  down.  The  eagles  were 
at  rest  on  their  rocky  ledge,  a  thousand  feet  above  the 
waters.  The  herons  had  left  their  stand  on  the  several 
promontories  of  the  fiord,  and  the  flapi^ing  of  their 
wings  overhead  was  no  more  heard.  Tlie  raven  was 
gone  home;  the  cattle  were  all  far  away  on  the  moun- 
tain pastures ;  the  goats  were  hidden  in  the  woods 
which  \-ielded  the  tender  shoots  on  which  they  sub- 
sisted.    The  round  eyes  of  a  white  owl  stared  out  upon 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 09 

himhereand  there,  from  under  the  eaves  of  a  farmhouse, 
and  these  seemed  to  be  the  only  eyes  besides  his  own 
that  were  open.  Hund  knew  as  he  passed  one  dwell- 
ing after  another,  —  knew  as  well  as  if  he  had  looked  in 
at  the  windows,  —  that  the  inhabitants  were  all  asleep, 
even  with  the  sunshine  lying  across  their  very  faces. 

Every  few  minutes  he  observed  how  his  shadow 
lengthened,  and  he  longed  for  the  brief  twilight  which 
would  now  soon  be  coming  on.  Now,  his  shadow 
stretched  quite  across  a  narrow  valley,  as  he  took 
breath  on  a  ridge  crossed  by  the  soft  breeze.  Then, 
the  shadow  stood  up  against  a  precipice,  taller  than 
the  tallest  pine  upon  the  steep.  Then  the  yellow 
gleam  grew  fainter,  the  sparkles  on  the  water  went  out, 
and  he  saw  the  large  pale  circle  of  the  sun  sink  and 
sink  into  the  waves,  where  the  fiord  spread  out  wide  to 
the  southwest.  Even  the  weary  spirit  of  this  unhappy 
man  seemed  now  to  be  pervaded  with  some  of  the 
repose  which  appeared  to  be  shed  down  for  the  benefit 
of  all  that  lived.  He  walked  on  and  on ;  but  he  felt 
the  grass  softer  under  his  feet,  —  the  air  cooler' upon 
his  brow  ;  and  he  began  to  comfort  himself  with  think- 
ing that  he  had  not  murdered  Rolf.  He  said  to  him- 
self that  he  had  not  laid  a  finger  on  him,  and  that  the 
skiff  might  have  sunk  exactly  as  it  did,  if  he  had  been 
sitting  at  home,  carving  a  bell-collar.  There  could  be 
no  doubt  that  the  skiff  had  been  pulled  down  fathoms 
deep  by  a  strong  hand  from  below;  and  if  the  spirits 
were  angry  with  Rolf,  that  was  no  concern  of  Rolf's 
human  enemiies.  Thus  Hund  strove  to  comfort  him- 
self; but  it  would  not  do.  The  more  he  tried  to  put 
away  the  thought,  the  more  obstinately  it  returned, 
that  he  had  been  speeding  on  his  way  to  injure  Rolf 
when  the  strange  disappearance  took  place ;  and  that 
he  had  long  hated  and  envied  his  fellow-servant,  how- 
ever marvellously  he  had  been  prevented  from  captur- 
ing or  slaying  him.  These  thoughts  had  no  comfort 
in  them  ;    but  better  came  after  a  time. 


no  FEATS    0\   THE    FIORD. 

He  had  to  pass  ver}-  near  M.  Kollscn's  abode;  and 
it  crossed  his  mind  that  it  would  be  a  great  rehef  to 
open  his  lieart  to  a  clergyman.  He  halted  for  a 
minute,  in  sight  of  the  house,  but  presently  went  on, 
sa}'ing  to  himself  that  he  could  not  say  all  to  M. 
Kollsen,  and  would  therefore  sa)-  nothing.  He  should 
get  a  lecture  against  superstition,  and  hear  hard  words 
of  the  powers  he  dreaded;  and  there  would  be  no 
consolation  in  this.  It  was  said  that  the  Bishop  of 
Tronyem  was  coming  round  this  way  soon,  in  his 
regular  progress  through  his  diocese,  and  everybody 
bore  testimony  to  his  gentleness  and  mercy.  It  would 
be  best  to  wait  for  his  coming.  Then  Hund  began  to 
calculate  how  soon  he  would  come  ;  for  aching  hearts 
are  impatient  for  relief;  and  the  thought  how  near 
midsummer  was,  made  him  look  up  into  the  sk\', — 
that  beautiful  index  of  the  seasons  in  a  northern 
climate.  There  were  a  few  extreme!}*  faint  stars,  —  a 
very  few,  —  for  only  the  brightest  could  i\ow  show 
themselves  in  the  sky  where  daylight  lingered  so  as 
never  quite  to  depart.  A  pale-green  hue  remained 
where  the  sun  had  disappeared,  and  a  deep-red  glow 
was  even  now  beginning  to  kindle  where  he  was  soon 
to  rise.  Just  here,  Hund's  ear  caught  some  tones  of 
the  soft  harp  music  which  the  winds  make  in  their 
passage  through  a  wood  of  pines ;  and  there  was  a 
fragrance  in  the  air  from  a  new  thatch  of  birch-bark 
just  laid  upon  a  neighboring  roof.  This  fragrance, 
that  faint  vibrating  music,  and  the  soft  veiled  light  were 
soothing;  and  when,  besides,  Hund  pictured  to  him- 
self his  mind  relieved  by  a  confession  to  the  good 
bishop,  perhaps  cheered  by  words  of  pardon  and  of 
promise,  the  tears  burst  from  his  e\'es,  and  the  fever  of 
his  spirit  was  allayed. 

Then  up  came  the  sun  again,  and  the  new  thatch 
reeked  in  his  beams,  and  the  birds  shook  off  sleep,  and 
plumed  themselves,  and  the  peak  of  Sulitelma  blushed 
with  the  softest  rose-color,  and  the  silvery  fish  leaped 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  I  I  I 

out  of  the  water,  and  the  blossoms  in  the  gardens 
opened,  though  it  was  only  an  hour  after  midnight. 
Every  creature  except  man  seemed  eager  to  make  the 
most  of  the  short  summer  season, — to  waste  none  of 
its  bright  hours,  which  would  be  gone  too  soon  ;  — 
every  creature  except  man ;  but  man  must  have  rest, 
be  the  sun  high  or  sunk  beneath  the  horizon:  so  that 
Hund  saw  no  face,  and  heard  no  human  voice,  before 
he  found  himself  standing  at  the  top  of  the  steep  rocky 
pathway,  which  led  down  to  Erlingsen's  abode. 

Hund  might  have  known  that  he  should  find  every- 
thing in  a  different  state  from  that  in  which  he  had 
left  the  place ;  but  yet  he  was  rather  surprised  at  the 
aspect  of  the  farm.  The  stable-doors  stood  wide ;  and 
there  was  no  trace  of  milk-pails.  The  hurdles  of  the 
fold  were  piled  upon  one  another  in  a  corner  of  the 
yard.  It  was  plain  that  herd,  flock,  and  dairy-women 
were  gone  to  the  mountain  :  and,  though  Hund  dreaded 
meeting  Erica,  it  struck  upon  his  heart  to  think  that 
she  was  not  here.  He  felt  now  how  much  it  was  for 
her  sake  that  he  had  come  back. 

He  half  resolved  to  go  away  again :  but  from  the 
gallery  of  the  house  some  snow-white  sheets  were 
hanging  to  dry ;  and  this  showed  that  some  neat  and 
busy  female  hands  were  still  here.  Next,  his  eye  fell 
upon  the  boat  which  lay  gently  rocking  with  the  reced- 
ing tide  in  its  tiny  cove ;  and  he  resolved  to  lie  down 
in  it  and  rest,  while  considering  what  to  do  next.  He 
went  down,  stepping  gently  over  the  pebbles  of  the 
beach,  lest  his  tread  should  reach  and  waken  any  ear 
through  the  open  windows,  lay  down  at  the  bottom  of 
the  boat,  and,  as  might  have  been  expected,  fell  asleep 
as  readily  as  an  infant  in  a  cradle. 

Of  course  he  was  discovered  ;  and,  of  course,  Oddo 
was  the  discoverer.  Oddo  was  the  first  to  come  forth, 
to  water  the  one  horse  that  remained  at  the  farm,  and 
to  give  a  turn  and  a  shake  to  the  two  or  three  little 
cocks  of  hay  which  had  been  mown  behind  the  house. 


I  12 


FEATS    ON    Till-:    FIORD. 


His  quick  eye  noted  the  deep  marks  of  a  man's  feet  in 
the  sand  and  pebbles,  below  high-water  mark,  proving 
that  some  one  had  been  on  the  premises  during  the 
night.  He  followed  these  marks  to  the  boat,  where  he 
was  amazed  to  find  the  enemy  (as  he  called  Hund) 
fast  asleep.  Oddo  was  in  a  great  hurry  to  tell  his 
grandfather  (Erlingsen  being  on  the  mountain) ;  but  he 
thought  it  only  proper  caution  to  secure  his  prize  from 
escaping  in  his  absence. 

He  summoned   his  companion,  the  dog  which    had 
warned  him  of  many  dangers  abroad,  and  he  ped  him 

-^  faithfully  with  his 

work  at  home ; 
and  nothing  could 
be  clearer  to 
Skorro  than  that 
he  was  to  crouch 
on  the  thwarts  of 
the  boat,  with  his 
nose  close  to 
Hund's  face,  and 
not  to  let  Hund 
stir  till  Oddo 
came  back.  Then 
^__  ,^      .  Oddo     ran,     and 

^  'JiPS   ^^^''¥^^W  '^^^lW^-'m'"^ ' '       ^^  a k e  n  e  d       his 
/«il'  ^    'K""""^®  ^^K-W-'  ^^^-.  '^       grandfather,  who 

made  all  haste  to 
rise  and  dress. 
I'^rica  now  lived 
in  Peder's  house. 
She  had  taken 
her  lover's  place 
-'-^  there,    since    his 

disappearance ;  as  the  old  man  must  be  taken  care 
of,  and  the  house  kept;  and  her  mistress  thought  the 
interest  and  occupation  good  for  her.  Hearing  Oddo's 
story,  she   rushed  out,  and  her  voice  was  soon  heard  in 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD.  II3 

passionate  entreaty,  above  the  bark  of  the  dog,  which 
was  trying  to  prevent  the  prisoner  from  rising. 

"Only  tell  me,"  Erica  was  heard  to  say,  "  only  tell 
me  where  and  how  he  died.  I  know  he  is  dead,  —  I 
knew  he  would  die ;  from  that  terrible  night  when  we 
were  betrothed.  Tell  me  who  did  it,  —  for  I  am  sure 
you  know.  WasitNipen?  Yes,  it  was  Nipen,  whether 
it  was  done  by  wind  or  water,  or  human  hands.  But 
speak,  and  tell  me  where  he  is.  O  Hund,  speak ! 
Say  only  where  his  body  is,  and  I  will  try  —  I  will  try 
never  to  speak  to  )'ou  again  —  never  to  —  " 

Hund  looked  miserable ;  he  moved  his  lips ;  but  no 
sound  was  heard  mingling  with  Erica's  rapid  speech. 

Madame  Erlingsen,  who,  with  Orga,  had  by  this 
time  reached  the  spot,  laid  her  hand  on  Erica's  arm,  to 
beg  for  a  moment's  silence,  made  Oddo  call  his  dog  out 
of  the  boat,  and  then  spoke,  in  a  severe  tone,  to  Hund. 

"  Why  do  you  shake  your  head,  Hund,  and  speak 
no  word  ?  Say  what  you  knows  for  the  sake  of  those 
whom,  we  grievously  suspect,  you  have  deeply  injured. 
Say  what  you  know,  Hund." 

"  What  I  say  is,  that  I  do  not  know,"  replied  Hund, 
in  a  hoarse  and  agitated  voice.  "  I  only  know  that  we 
live  in  an  enchanted  place,  here  by  this  fiord,  and  that 
the  spirits  try  to  make  us  answer  for  their  doings.  The 
very  first  night  after  I  went  forth,  this  very  boat  was 
spirited  away  from  me,  so  that  I  could  not  come  home. 
Nipen  had  a  spite  against  me  there,  to  make  you  all 
suspect  me.  I  declare  to  you  that  the  boat  was  gone, 
in  a  twinkling,  by  magic,  and  I  heard  the  cry  of  the 
spirit  that  took  it." 

"What  was  the  cry  like?"  asked  Oddo,  gravely. 

"  Where  were  you  that  you  were  not  spirited  away 
with  the  boat?"  asked  his  mistress. 

"  I  was  tumbled  out  upon  the  shore,  I  don't  know 
how,"  declared  Hund:  —  "found  myself  sprawling  on 
a  rock,  while  the  creature's  cries  brought  my  heart 
into  my  mouth  as  I  lay." 


114  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 

"Alone?  —  were  )-ou  alone?"  asked  his  mistress. 

"  I  had  landed  the  pastor  some  hours  before, 
madam  ;  and  I  took  nobody  else  with  me,  as  Stiorna 
can  tell ;    for  she  saw  me  go." 

■"  Stiorna  is  at  the  mountain,"  observed  Madame, 
coolly. 

"But,  Hund,"  said  Oddo,  "how  did  Nipen  take  hold 
of  you  when  it  laid  you  sprawling  on  the  rock?  Neck 
and  heels?  Or,  did  it  bid  you  go  and  hearken  whether 
the  pirates  were  coming,  and  whip  away  the  boat  before 
you  came  back?  Are  you  quite  sure  that  you  sprawled 
on  the  rock  at  all  before  you  ran  away  from  the  horrible 
cry  you  speak  of?  Our  rocks  are  very  slippery,  when 
Nipen  is  at  one's  heels." 

Hund  stared  at  Oddo,  and  his  voice  was  yet  hoarser 
when  he  said  that  he  had  long  thought  that  boy  was  a 
favorite  with  Nipen  ;  and  he  was  sure  of  it  now. 

Erica  had  thrown  herself  down  on  the  sand,  hiding 
her  face  on  her  hands,  on  the  edge  of  the  boat,  as  if  in 
despair  of  her  misery  being  attended  to, —  her  questions 
answered.  Old  Peder  stood  beside  her,  stroking  her 
hair  tenderly ;  and  he  now  spoke  the  things  she  could 
not  say. 

"Attend  to  me,  Hund,"  said  Peder,  in  the  grave, 
quiet  tone  which  every  one  regarded.  "Hear  my 
words,  and,  for  your  own  sake,  answer  them.  We  sus- 
pect you  of  being  in  communication  with  the  pirates 
yonder ;  we  suspect  that  you  went  to  meet  them  when 
you  refused  to  go  hunting  the  bears.  We  know  that 
you  have  long  felt  ill-will  towards  Rolf,  —  envy  of  him, 
— jealousy  of  him  ;  — and  —  " 

Here  Erica  looked  up,  pale  as  ashes,  and  said, 
"  Do  not  question  him  further.  There  is  no  truth  in 
his  answers.     He  spoke  falsehood  even  now." 

Peder  saw  how  Hund  shrank  under  this,  and  thought 
the  present  the  moment  to  get  truth  out  of  him,  if  he 
ever  could  speak  it.     He  therefore  went  on  to  say, — 

"We  suspect  you  of  having  done  something  to  keep 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 


115 


your  rival  out  of  the  way,  in  order  that  you  might 
obtain  the  house  and  situation,  —  and  perhaps  some- 
thing else  that  you  wish." 

"Have  you  killed  him?"  asked  Erica  abruptly, 
looking  full  in  his  face. 

"  No,"  returned  Hund,  firmly.  From  his  manner 
everybody  believed  this  much. 

"Do  you  know  that  anybody  else  has    killed   him?" 

"No." 

"  Do  you  know  whether  he  is  alive  or  dead?  " 

To  this  Hund  could,  in  the  confusion  of  his  ideas 
about  Rolf's  fate  and  condition,  fairly  say,  "  No";  as 
also  to  the  question,  "  Do  you  know  w^here  he  is?  " 

Then  they  all  cried  out, — 

"Tell  us  what  you  do  know  about  him." 

"  Ay,  there  you  come,"  said  Hund,  resuming  some 
courage,  and  putting  on  the  appearance  of  more  than 
he  had.  "You  load  me  with  foul  accusations;  and 
when  you  find  yourselves  all  in  the  wrong,  you  alter 
your  tone,  and  put  yourselves  under  obligation  to  me 
for  what  I  will  tell. 
I  will  treat  you  better 
than  you  treat  me ; 
and  I  wnll  tell  you 
plainly  why.  I  repent 
of  my  feelings  towards 
my  fellow-servant,  now 
that  evil  has  befallen 
him  —  " 

"What?     Owhat?" 
cried  Erica. 

"  He  was  seen  fishing 
on    the    fiord,    in    that 
poor     little     worn-out 
skiff.       I  myself  saw  him. 
the  skiff,  it  was  gone,  —  it  had  disappeared." 

"  And  where  were  you?" 

"  Never   mind    where   I  was.     I   was   not  with  him, 


And  when  I  looked  next  for 


Il6  FKATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

but  about  my  own  business.  And  I  tell  }'ou,  I  no 
more  laid  a  finger  on  him  or  his  skiff  than  an}-  one 
of  you." 

"  Where  was  it?  " 

"  Close  by  Vogel  Islet !  " 

Erica  started,  and  in  one  moment's  flush  of  hope, 
told  that  Rolf  had  said  he  should  be  safe  at  any  time 
near  Vogel  Islet.  Hund  caught  at  her  words  so  eagerly 
as  to  make  a  favorable  impression  on  ail,  who  saw, 
what  was  indeed  the  truth,  that  he  would  have  been 
glad  to  know  that  Rolf  was  alive.  Their  manner  so 
changed  towards  Hund,  that  if  Stiorna  had  been  there, 
she  would  have  triumphed.  But  the  more  they  con- 
sidered the  case,  the  more  improbable  it  seemed  that 
Rolf  should  have  escaped  drowning. 

"  Mother,  what  do  you  think?  "  whispered  the  gentle 
Orga. 

"  I  think,  my  dear,  that  we  shall  never  forgive  our- 
selves for  letting  Rolf  go  out  in  that  old  skiff." 

"  Then  you  think,  —  you  feel  quite  sure,  —  mother, 
that  Nipen  had  nothing  to  do  with  it." 

"  I  feel  confident,  my  dear,  that  there  is  no  such 
being  as  Nipen." 

"  Even  after  all  that  has  happened  ?  —  after  this,  fol- 
lowing upon  Oddo's  prank  that  night?  " 

"  Even  so,  Orga.  W'e  suffer  by  our  own  carelessness 
and  folly,  my  love;  and  it  makes  us  neither  wiser  nor 
better  to  charge  the  consequence  upon  evil  spirits ;  — 
to  charge  our  good  God  with  permitting  revengeful 
beings  to  torment  us,  instead  of  learning  from  his 
chastisements  to  sin  in  the  same  way  no  more." 

"  But,  mother,  if  you  are  right,  how  very  far  wrong 
all  these  others  are  !  " 

"It  is  but  little,  my  child,  that  the  wisest  of  us 
knows ;  but  there  is  a  w^hole  eternity  before  us,  every 
one,  to  grow  wise  in.  Some,"  and  she  looked  towards 
Oddo,"  may  outgrow  their  mistakes  here  ;  and  others," 
looking  at   old  Peder,   '•  are  travelling  fast  towards  a 


FEATS    OX   THE   FIORD.  I  I  / 

place  where  everybody  is  wiser  than  years  or  education 
can  make  us  here.  Your  father  and  I  do  wish,  for 
FroHch  and  you,  that  you  should  rest  your  reverence, 
your  hopes  and  fears,  on  none  but  the  good  God.  Do 
we  not  know  that  not  even  a  sparrow  falleth  to  the 
ground  without  His  will?" 

"  Poor  Erica  would  be  less  miserable  if  she  could 
think  so,"  sighed  Orga.  "  She  will  die  soon,  if  she  goes 
on  to  suffer  as  she  does.  I  wish  the  good  bishop  would 
come:  fori  do  not  think  M.  Kollsen  gives  her  any 
comfort.  Look  now !  what  can  she  have  to  say  to 
Hund  ?" 

What  Erica  had  to  say  to  Hund  was,  — 

"  I  believe  some  of  the  things  you  have  told.  I  be- 
lieve that  you  did  not  lay  hands  on  Rolf" 

"  Bless  you  !  Bless  you  for  that !  "  interrupted  Hund, 
almost  forgetting  how  far  he  really  was  guilty  in  the 
satisfaction  of  hearing  these  words  from  the  lips  that 
spoke  them. 

"  Tell  me,  then,"  proceeded  Erica,  "  how  you  believe  he 
really  perished.  —  Do  you  fully  believe  he  perished?  " 

"  I  believe,"  whispered  Hund,  "  that  the  strong  hand 
pulled  him  down  —  down  to  the  bottom." 

"  I  knew  it,"  said  Erica,  turning  away. 

"Erica,  —  one  word,"  exclaimed  Hund.  "I  must 
stay  here  —  I  am  very  miserable,  and  I  must  stay  here, 
and  work  and  work  till  I  get  some  comfort.  But  }'ou 
must  tell  me  how  you  think  of  me  —  you  must  say  that 
you  do  not  hate  me." 

"  I  do  hate  you,"  said  Erica,  with  disgust,  as  her 
suspicions  of  his  wanting  to  fill  Rolf's  place  were 
renewed.  "  I  mistrust  you,  Hund,  more  deeply  than  I 
can  tell." 

"Will  no  penitence  change  your  feelings.  Erica?  I 
tell  you  I  am  as  miserable  as  you." 

"  That  is  false,  like  everything  else  that  you  say," 
cried  Erica.  "I  wish  you  would  go,  —  go  and  seek 
Rolf  under  the  waters  —  " 


Il8  FEATS   ON   THE   FIORD. 

Hund  shuddered  at  the  thought,  as  it  recalled  what 
he  had  seen  and  heard  at  the  islet.  Erica  saw  this, 
and  sternly  repeated, — 

"  Go  and  bring  back  Rolf  from  the  deeps ;  and  then 
I  will  cease  to  hate  you.  Ah  !  I  see  the  despair  in 
your  face.  Such  despair  never  came  from  any  woman's 
words  where  there  was  not  a  bad  conscience  to  back 
them." 

Hund  felt  that  this  was  true,  and  made  no  reply. 

As  Erica  slowly  returned  into  Pedcr's  house,  Oddo 
ran  past,  and  was  there  before  her.  He  closed  the 
door  when  she  had  entered,  put  his  hand  within  hers, 
and  said,  — 

"Did  Rolf  really  tell  you  that  he  should  be  safe  any- 
where near  Vogel  Islet?" 

"Yes,"  sighed  Erica,  —  "safe  from  the  pirates. 
That  was  his  answer  when  I  begged  him  not  to  go  so 
far  down  the  fiord  ;  but  Rolf  always  had  an  answer 
when  one  asked  him  not  to  go  into  danger.  You  see 
how  it  ended ;  —  and  he  never  would  believe  in  tJiat 
danger." 

"  I  shall  never  be  happy  again,  if  this  is  Nipen's 
doing,"  said  Oddo.  "  But,  Erica,  you  went  one  trip 
with  me,  and  I  know  you  are  brave.  Will  you  go 
another?  Will  you  go  to  the  islet,  and  see  what  Rolf 
could  have  meant  about  being  safe  there?  " 

Erica  brightened  for  a  moment;  and  perhaps  would 
have  agreed  to  go:  but  Peder  came  in;  and  Peder 
said  he  knew  the  islet  well,  and  that  it  was  universally 
considered  that  it  was  now  inaccessible  to  human  foot, 
and  that  that  was  the  reason  why  the  fowl  flourished 
there  as  they  did  in  no  other  place.  Erica  must  not 
be  permitted  to  go  so  far  down  among  the  haunts  of 
the  pirates.  Instead  of  this,  her  mistress  had  just 
decided  that,  as  there  were  no  present  means  of  getting 
rid  of  Hund,  —  as  indeed  his  depressed  state  of  spirits 
seemed  to  give  him  some  title  to  be  received  again, — 
and  as  Erica  could  not  be  expected  to  remain  just  now 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  119 

in  his  presence,  she  should  set  off  immediately  for  the 
mountain,  and  request  Erlingsen  to  come  home.  This 
was  only  hastening  her  departure  by  two  or  three 
days.  At  the  seater  she  would  find  less  to  try  her 
spirits  than  here :  and  when  Erlingsen  came  he  would, 
if  he  thought  proper,  have  Hund  carried  before  a 
magistrate ;  and  would,  at  least,  set  such  inquiries 
afloat  through  the  whole  region  as  would  bring  to 
light  anything  that  might  chance  to  be  known  of  Rolf's 
fate. 

Erica  could  not  deny  that  this  was  the  best  plan  that 
could  be  pursued,  though  she  had  no  heart  for  going 
to  the  seater,  any  more  than  for  doing  anything  else. 
Under  Peder's  urgency,  however,  she  made  up  her 
bundle  of  clothes,  took  in  her  hand  her  lure,*  with 
which  to  call  home  the  cattle  in  the  evenings,  bade 
her  mistress  farewell  privately,  and  stole  away  without 
Hund's  knowledge,  while  Oddo  was  giving  him  meat 
and  drink  within  the  house.  Old  Peder  listened  to  her 
parting  footsteps ;  and  her  mistress  watched  her  up  the 
first  hill,  thinking  to  herself  how  unlike  this  was  to 
the  usual  cheerful  departure  to  the  mountain  dairies. 
Never,  indeed,  had  a  heavier  heart  burdened  the  foot- 
steps of  the  wayfarer,  about  to  climb  the  slopes  of 
Sulitelma. 

*  The  lure  is  a  wooden  trumpet,  nearly  five  feet  long,  made  of  two 
hollow  pieces  of  birch-wood,  bound  together,  throughout  the  whole 
length,  with  slips  of  willow.  It  is  used  to  call  the  cattle  together  on  a 
wide  pasture;  and  is  also  carried  by  traveUing  parties,  to  save  the  risk  of 
any  one  being  lost  in  the  wilds.  Its  notes,  which  may  be  heard  to  a  great 
distance,  are  extremely  harsh  and  discordant;  having  none  of  the  musical 
tone  of  the  Alp-horn,  (the  cow-horn  used  by  the  Swiss  for  the  same 
purpose,)  which  sounds  well  at  a  distance. 


I20  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

CHAPTER    X. 

SEEKING   THE    UPLANDS. 

Now  that  the  great  occasion  was  come,  —  that 
brightest  day  of  the  year,  —  the  day  of  going  to  the 
seater,  how  unHke  was  it  to  all  that  the  lovers  had 
imagined  and  planned  !  How  unlike  was  the  situation 
of  the  two !  There  was  Rolf,  cooped  up  in  a  dim 
cave,  his  heart  growing  heavy  as  his  ear  grew  weary 
of  the  incessant  dash  and  echo  of  the  waters  !  And 
here  was  Erica  on  the  free  mountain-side,  where  all 
was  silent,  except  the  occasional  rattle  of  a  brook  over 
the  stones,  and  the  hum  of  a  cloud  of  summer  flies. 
The  lovers  were  alike  in  their  unhappiness  only :  and 
hardly  in  this,  so  much  the  most  wretched  of  the  two 
was  Erica. 

The  sun  was  hot;  and  her  path  occasionally  lay 
under  rocks  which  reflected  the  heat  upon  the  pas- 
senger. She  did  not  heed  this,  for  the  aching  of  her 
heart.  Then  she  had  to  pass  through  a  swamp, 
whence  issued  a  host  of  mosquitoes,  to  annoy  any  who 
intruded  upon  their  domain.  It  just  occurred  to  Erica 
that  Rolf  made  her  pass  this  place  on  horseback  last 
year,  well  veiled,  and  completely  defended  from  these 
stinging  tormentors :  but  she  did  not  heed  them  now. 
When,  somewhat  higher  up,  she  saw  in  the  lofty  dis- 
tance a  sunny  slope  of  long  grass  undulating  in  the 
wind,  like  the  surface  of  a  lake,  tears  sprang  into  her 
eyes ;  for  Rolf  had  said  that  when  they  came  in  sight 
of  the  waving  pasture,  she  would  alight,  and  walk  the 
rest  of  the  way  with  him.  Instead  of  this,  and  instead 
of  the  gay  procession  from  the  farm,  musical  with  the 
singing  of  boys  and  girls,  the  lowing  of  the  cows,  and 
the  bleating  of  the  kids,  all  rejoicing  together  at  going 


FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD.  12  1 

to  the  mountain,  here  she  was  alone,  carrying  a  widowed 
heart,  and  wandering  with  unwiUing  steps  farther  and 
farther  from  the  spot  where  she  had  last  seen  Rolf! 

She  dashed  the  tears  from  her  eyes,  and  looked 
behind  her,  at  the  entrance  of  a  ravine  which  would 
hide  her  from  the  fiord  and  the  dwelling  she  had  left. 
Thor  Islet  lay  like  a  fragment  of  the  leafy  forest  cast 
into  the  blue  waters ;  but  Vogel  Islet  could  not  be 
seen.  It  was  not  too  far  down  to  be  seen  from  an  ele- 
vation like  this;  but  it  was  hidden  behind  the  promon- 
tories by  which  the  fiord  was  contracted.  Erica  could 
see  what  she  next  looked  for,  —  knowing,  as  she  did, 
precisely  where  to  look.  She  could  see  the  two  graves 
belonging  to  the  household, —  the  two  hillocks  which 
were  railed  in  behind  the  house ;  but  she  turned  away 
sickening  at  the  thought  that  Rolf  could  not  even  have 
a  grave ;  that  that  poor  consolation  was  denied  her. 
She  looked  behind  her  no  more ;  but  made  her  w-ay 
rapidly  through  the  ravine, —  the  more  rapidly  because 
she  had  seen  a  man  ascending  by  the  same  path  at  no 
great  distance,  and  she  had  little  inclination  to  be 
joined  by  a  party  of  wandering  Laplanders,  seeking  a 
fresh  pasture  for  their  reindeer ;  still  less  by  any  neigh- 
bor from  the  fiord,  who  might  think  civility  required 
that  he  should  escort  her  to  the  seater.  This  wayfarer 
was  walking  at  a  pace  so  much  faster  than  hers,  that 
he  would  soon  pass ;  and  she  would  hide  among  the 
rocks  beside  the  tarn*  at  the  head  of  the  ravine  till  he 
had  gone  by. 

It  was  refreshing  to  come  out  of  the  hot,  steep  ravine 
upon  the  grass  at  the  upper  end  of  it.  Such  grass  ! 
A  line  of  pathway  was  trodden  in  it  straight  upwards, 
by  those  who  had  before  ascended  the  mountain ; 
but  Erica  left  this  path,  and  turned  to  the  right,  to  seek 
the  tarn  which  there  lay  hidden  among  the  rocks.  The 
herbage  was  knee  deep,  and  gay  with  flowers,  —  with 

*   Small  lake  upon  a  mountain. 


122 


FEATS    (.)X   THE    FIORD. 


wild  geranium,  pansies,  and  especially  with  the  yellow 
blossoms  which  gi\-e  its  peculiar  hue  and  flavor  to  the 
Gammel  cheese,  and  to  the  butter  made  in  the  moun- 


tain dairies  of  Norway.  Through  this  rich  pasture 
Erica  waded  till  she  reached  the  tarn  which  fed  the 
stream  that  gambolled  down  the  ravine.  The  death- 
cold  unfathomed  waters  lay  calm  and  still  under  the 
shelter  of  the  rocks  which  nearly  surrounded  them. 
Even  where  crags  did  not  rise  abruptly  from  the  water, 
huge  blocks  were  scattered;  masses  which  seemed  to 
have  Iain  so  long  as  to  have  seen  the  springing  herbage 
of  a  thousand  summers. 

In  the  shadow  of  one  of  these  blocks.  Erica  sank 
down  into  the  grass.  There  she,  and  her  bundle,  and 
her  long  lure  were  half-buried  ;  and  this,  at  last,  felt 
something  like  rest.  Here  she  would  remain  long 
enough  to  let  the  other  wayfarer  have  a  good  start  up 
the  mountain  ;  and  by  that  time  she  should  be  cool  and 
tranquillized: — )-cs,  tranquillized  ;  for  here  she  could 
seek  that  peace  which  never  failed  when  she  sought  it 
as  Christians  may.  She  hid  her  face  in  the  fragrant 
grass,  and  did  not  look  up  again  till  the  grief  of  her 
soul  was  stilled.  —  Then  her  eye  and  her  heart  were 
open  to  the  beauty  of  the  place  which  she  had   made 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  123 

her  temple  of  worship ;  and  she  gazed  around  till  she 
saw  something  that  surprised  her.  A  reindeer  stood 
on  the  ridge,  his  whole  form,  from  his  branching  head 
to  his  slender  legs,  being  clearly  marked  against  the 
bright  sky.  He  was  not  alone.  He  was  the  sentinel, 
set  to  watch  on  behalf  of  several  companions,  —  two  or 
three  being  perched  on  ledges  of  the  rock,  browsing, 
—  one  standing  half  buried  in  the  herbage  of  the 
pasture,  and  one  on  the  margin  of  the  water,  drinking 
as  it  would  not  have  dreamed  of  doing  if  the  wind  had 
not  been  in  the  wrong  quarter  for  letting  him  know 
how  near  the  hidden  Erica  was. 

This  pretty  sight  was  soon  over.  In  a  few  moments 
the  whole  company  appeared  to  take  flight  at  once, 
without  her  having  stirred  a  muscle.  Away  they  went, 
with  such  speed  and  noiselessness  that  they  appeared 
not  to  touch  the  ground.  From  point  to  point  of  the 
rock  they  sprang,  and  the  last  branchy  head  disap- 
peared over  the  ridge,  almost  before  Erica  could  stand 
upright,  to  see  all  she  could  of  them. 

She  soon  discovered  the  cause  of  their  alarm.  She 
thought  it  could  not  have  been  herself;  and  it  was  not. 
The  traveller,  who  she  had  hoped  was  now  some  way 
up  the  mountain,  was  standing  on  the  margin  of  the 
tarn,  immediately  opposite  to  her,  so  that  the  wind  had 
carried  the  scent  to  the  herd.  The  traveller  saw  her 
at  the  same  moment  that  she  perceived  him  ;  but  Erica 
did  not  discover  this,  and  sank  down  again  into  the 
grass,  hoping  so  to  remain  undisturbed.  She  could 
not  thus  observe  what  his  proceedings  were ;  but  her 
ear  soon  informed  her  that  he  was  close  by.  His  feet 
were  rustling  in  the  grass. 

She  sat  up,  and  took  her  bundle  and  lure,  believing 
now  that  she  must  accept  the  unwelcome  civility  of  an 
escort  for  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  the  way,  and  thinking 
that  she  might  as  well  make  haste,  and  get  it  over.  The 
man,  however,  seemed  in  no  hurry.  Before  she  could 
rise,  he  took   his  seat  on  the  huge  stone    beside  her, 


124  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

crossed  his  arms,  made  no  greeting,  but  looked  her  full 
in  the  face. 

She  did  not  know  the  face,  nor  was  it  like  any  that 
she  had  ever  seen.  There  was  such  long  hair,  and  so 
much  beard,  that  the  eyes  seemed  the  only  feature 
which  made  any  distinct  impression.  Erica's  heart 
now  began  to  beat  violently.  Though  wishing  to  be 
alone,  she  had  not  dreamed  of  being  afraid  till  now:  but 
now  it  occurred  to  her  that  she  was  seeing  the  rarest 
of  sights  —  one  not  seen  twice  in  a  century  ;  no  other 
than  the  mountain  demon.  Sulitclma,  as  the  highest 
mountain  in  Norway,  was  thought  to  be  his  favorite 
haunt;  and  considering  his  strange  appearance,  and  his 
silence,  it  could  hardly  be  other  than  himself. 

The  test  would  be  whether  he  would  speak  first ;  a 
test  which  she  resolved  to  try,  though  it  was  rather 
difiicult  to  meet  and  return  the  stare  of  such  a  neighbor 
without  speaking.  She  could  not  keep  this  up  for 
more  than  a  minute :  so  she  sprang  to  her  feet,  rested 
her  lure  upon  her  shoulder,  took  her  bundle  in  her 
hand  and  began  to  wade  back  through  the  high  grass 
to  the  pathway,  almost  expecting,  when  she  thought 
of  her  mother's  fate,  to  be  seized  by  a  strong  hand, 
and  cast  into  the  unfathomable  tarn,  whose  waters  were 
said  to  well  up  from  the  centre  of  the  earth.  Her 
companion,  however,  merely  walked  by  her  side.  As 
he  did  not  offer  to  carry  her  bundle,  he  could  be  no 
countryman  of  hers.  There  was  not  a  peasant  in  Nord- 
land  who  would  not  have  had  more  courtesy. 

They  walked  quietly  on  till  the  tarn  was  left  some 
way  behind.  Erica  found  she  was  not  to  die  that  way. 
Presently  after,  they  came  in  sight  of  a  settlement  of 
Lapps,  —  a  cluster  of  low  and  dirty  tents,  round  which 
some  tame  reindeer  were  feeding.  Erica  was  not  sorry 
to  see  these ;  though  no  one  knew  better  than  she  the 
helpless  cowardice  of  these  people  ;  and  it  was  not  easy 
to  say  what  assistance  they  could  afford  against  the 
mountain  demon.     Yet  they  were  human  beings,  and 


FEATS    OX   THE   FIORD.  125 

would  appear  in  ariswer  to  a  en-.  She  involuntarily 
shifted  her  lure,  to  be  ready  to  utter  a  call.  The 
stranger  stopped  to  look  at  the  distant  tents,  and 
Erica  went  on,  at  the  same  pace.  He  presently  over- 
took her,  and  pointed  towards  the  Lapps  with  an 
inquiring  look.     Erica  only  nodded. 

"Why  you  no  speak? "  growled  the  stranger,  in 
broken  language. 

"  Because  I  have  nothing  to  say,"  declared  Erica, 
in  the  sudden  vivacity  inspired  by  the  discovery  that  this 
was  probably  no  demon.  Her  doubts  were  renewed, 
however,  by  the  next  question. 

"  Is  the  bishop  coming?  " 

Now,  none  were  supposed  to  have  a  deeper  interest 
in  the  holy  bishop's  travels  than  the  evil  spirits  of  any 
region  through  which  he  was  to  pass. 

"  Yes,  he  is  coming,"  replied  Erica.  "  Are  you 
afraid  of  him?  " 

The  stranger  burst  into  a  loud  laugh  at  her  question  : 
and  very  like  a  mocking  fiend  he  looked,  as  his  thick 
beard  parted  to  show  his  wide  mouth,  with  its  two 
ranges  of  teeth.  When  he  finished  laughing,  he  said, 
"No,  no  —  we  no  fear  bishop." 

"'We!'"  repeated  Erica  to  herself.  "He  speaks 
for  his  tribe,  as  well  as  himself." 

"We  no  fear  bishop,"  said  the  stranger,  still  laugh- 
ing. "You  no  fear  —  ?"  and  he  pointed  to  the 
long  stretch  of  path  —  the  prodigious  ascent  before 
them. 

Erica  said  there  was  nothing  to  fear  on  the  mountain 
for  those  who  did  their  duty  to  the  powers,  as  it  was 
her  intention  to  do.  Her  first  Gammel  cheese  was  to 
be  for  him  whose  due  it  was ;  and  it  should  be  the 
best  she  could  make. 

This  speech  she  thought  would  suit,  whatever  might 
be  the  nature  of  her  companion.  If  it  was  the  demon, 
she  could  do  no  more  to  please  him  than  promise  him 
his  cheese. 


126 


FEATS    OX    'IIIE    FIORD. 


Her  companion  seemed  not  to  understand  or  attend 
to  what  she  said.  He  again  asked  if  she  was  not  afraid 
to  travel  alone  in  so  dreary  a  place,  adding,  that  if  his 
countrywomen  were  to  be  overtaken  by  a  stranger  like 
him,  on  the  wilds  of  a  mountain,  they  would  scream 
and  fiy ;  all  which  he  acted  very  vividh-,  by  way  of 
making  out  his  imperfect  speech,  and  tr\-ing  her 
courage  at  the  same  time. 

When  Erica  saw  that  she  had  no  demon  for  a  com- 
panion, but  only  a  foreigner,  she  was  so  much  relieved 
as  not  to  be  afraid  at  all.  She  said  that  nobody 
thought  of  being  frightened  in  summer  time  in  her 
country.     Winter  was   the  time    for    that.     When    the 

days  were  long, 
so  that  travel- 
lers knew  their 
wa)',  and  when 
ever}^body  was 
abroad,  so  that 
you  could  not 
go  far  with- 
out meeting  a 
friend,  there  was 
nothing  to  fear. 
"You  go 
abroad  to  meet 
friends,  and 
leave  your  en- 
emy behind." 

At    the    mo- 
ment he  turned 
to    look     back. 
Erica  could  not 
now  help  watch- 
ing him,  and  she 
cast  a  glance  homewards  too.    They  were  so  high  up  the 
mountain  that  the  fiord  and  its  shores  were  in  full  view; 
and  more  ;   for  the  river  was  seen  in   its  windings   from 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  127 

the  very  skirts  of  the  mountain  to  the  fiord,  and  the 
town  of  Saltdalen  standing  on  its  banks.  In  short,  the 
whole  landscape  to  the  west  lay  before  them,  from 
Sulitelma  to  the  point  of  the  horizon  where  the  islands 
and  rocks  melted  into  the  sea. 

The  stranger  had  picked  up  an  eagle's  feather  in  his 
walk ;  and  he  now  pointed  with  it  to  the  tiny  cove  in 
which  Erlingsen's  farm  might  be  seen,  looking  no  big- 
ger than  an  infant's  toy,  and  said,  — 

"  Do  you  leave  an  enemy  there,  or  is  Hund  now 
your  friend?  " 

"  Hund  is  nobody's  friend,  unless  he  happens  to  be 
yours,"  Erica  replied,  perceiving  at  once  that  her  com- 
panion belonged  to  the  pirates.  "Hund  is  everybody's 
enemy;  and,  above  all,  he  is  an  enemy  to  himself.  He 
is  a  wretched  man." 

"  The  bishop  will  cure  that,"  said  the  stranger.  "  He 
is  coward  enough  to  call  in  the  bishop  to  cure  all. 
When  comes  the  bishop?  " 

"  Next  week." 

"What  day,  and  what  hour?" 

Erica  did  not  choose  to  gratify  so  close  a  curiosity  as 
this.  She  did  not  reply ;  and  while  silent,  was  not  sorry 
to  hear  the  distant  sound  of  cattle-bells,  and  Erlingsen's 
cattle-bells  too.  The  stranger  did  not  seem  to  notice 
the  sound,  even  though  quickening  his  pace  to  suit 
Erica's,  who  pressed  on  faster  when  she  believed  pro- 
tection was  at  hand.  And  yet  the  next  thing  the 
stranger  said  brought  her  to  a  full  stop. —  He  said  he 
thought  a  part  of  Hund's  business  w^ith  the  bishop 
would  be  to  get  him  to  disenchant  the  fiord,  so  that 
boats  might  not  be  spirited  away  almost  before  men's 
eyes  ;  and  that  a  rower  and  his  skiff  might  not  sink  like 
lead  one  day,  and  the  man  be  heard  the  second  day, 
and  seen  the  third,  so  that  there  was  no  satisfactory 
knowledge  as  to  whether  he  was  really  dead.  Erica 
stopped,  and  her  eager  looks  made  the  inquiry  which 
her  lips  could  not  speak.      Her  eagerness  put  her  com- 


128  FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD. 

panion  on  his  guard,  and  he  would  explain  no  further 
than  b\'  sa\ing  that  the  fiord  was  certainly  enchanted, 
and  that  strange  tales  were  circulating  all  round  its 
shores  —  very  striking  to  a  stranger  ;  —  a  stranger  had 
nothing  more  to  do  with  the  wonders  of  a  country  than 
to  listen  to  them.  He  wanted  to  turn  the  conversation 
back  to  Hund.  Having  found  out  that  he  was  at 
Erlingsen's,  he  next  tried  to  discover  what  he  had  said 
and  done  since  his  arrival.  Erica  told  the  little  there 
was  to  tell  —  that  he  seemed  full  of  sorrow  and  remorse. 
She  told  this  in  hope  of  a  further  explanation  about 
drowned  men  being  seen  alive;  but  the  stranger  stopped 
when  the  bells  were  heard  again,  and  a  woman's  voice 
singing,  nearer  still.  He  complimented  Erica  on  her 
courage,  and  turned  to  go  back  the  way  he  came. 

"  Stay,"  said  Erica.  "  Do  come  to  the  dair}-,  now 
you  are  so  near." 

The  man  walked  away  rapidly. 

"  My  master  is  here  close  at  hand ;  he  will  be  glad  to 
see  a  stranger,"  she  said,  following  him,  with  the  feeling 
that  her  only  chance  of  hearing  something  of  Rolf 
was  departing.  The  stranger  did  not  turn,  but  only 
w^alked  faster  and  with  longer  strides  down  the  slope. 

The  only  thing  now  to  be  done  was  to  run  forwards, 
and  send  a  messenger  after  him.  Erica  forgot  heat, 
weariness,  and  the  safety  of  her  property,  and  ran  on 
towards  the  singing  voice.  In  five  minutes  she  found 
the  singer,  Frolich,  lying  along  the  ground  and  picking 
cloud-berries  with  which  she  was  filling  her  basket  for 
supper. 

"  Where  is  Erlingsen? —  quick  —  quick  !  "  cried  Erica. 

"  My  father?  You  may  just  see  him  \\ith  )'ourgood 
eyes, —  up  there." 

And  Frolich  pointed  to  a  patch  of  verdure  on  a  slope 
high  up  the  mountain,  where  the  gazer  might  just  dis- 
cern that  there  were  haycocks  standing,  and  two  or 
three  moving  figures  beside  them. 

"  Stiorna  is  there  to-day,  besides  Jan.     They  hope  to 


FEATS    OX   THE   FIORD.  1 29 

finish  this  evening,"  said  FroHch ;  "and  so  here  I  am, 
all  alone ;  and  I  am  glad  you  have  come  to  help  me  to 
have  a  good  supper  ready  for  them.  Their  hunger 
will  beat  all  my  berry-gathering." 

"You  are  alone?"  said  Erica,  discovering  that  it  was 
well  that  the  pirate  had  turned  back  when  he  did. 
"  You  alone,  and  gathering  berries,  instead  of  having 
an  eye  on  the  cattle  !     Who  has  an  eye  on  the  cattle  ?  "  * 

"  Why,  no  one,"  answered  Frolich.  "  Come  now,  do 
not  tease  me  with  bidding  me  remember  the  Bishop  of 
Tronyem's  cattle.  The  underground  people  have  some- 
thing to  do  elsewhere  to-day;  they  give  no  heed  to  us." 

"  W'e  must  give  heed  to  them,  however,"  said  Erica. 
"Show  me  where  the  cattle  are,  and  I  will  collect  them, 
and  have  an  eye  on  them  till  supper  is  ready." 

"  You  shall  do  no  such  thing.  Erica.  You  shall  lie 
down  here  and  pick  berries  with  me,  and  tell  me  the 
news.  That  will  rest  you  and  me  at  the  same  time ; 
for  I  am  as  tired  of  being  alone  as  you  can  be  of  climbing 
the  mountain.  But  why  are  your  hands  empty?  Who 
is  to  lend  you  clothes?  And  what  will  the  cows  say  to 
your  leaving  your  lure  behind,  when  you  know  they 
like  it  so  much  better  than  Stiorna's?  " 

Erica  explained  that  her  bundle  and  lure  were  lying 
on  the  grass,  a  little  way  below ;  and  Frolich  sprang  to 
her  feet,  saying  that  she  would  fetch  them  presently. 
Erica  stopped  her,  and  told  her  she   must  not  go  :    no- 


*  It  is  a  popular  belief  in  Norway  that  there  is  a  race  of  fairies  or 
magicians  living  underground,  who  are  very  covetous  of  cattle;  and  that, 
to  gratify  their  taste  for  large  herds  and  flocks,  they  help  themselves  with 
such  as  graze  on  the  mountains;  making  dwarfs  of  them  to  enable  them  to 
enter  crevices  of  the  ground,  in  order  to  descend  to  the  subterranean  pas- 
tures. This  practice  may  be  defeated,  as  the  Norwegian  herdsman  be- 
lieves, by  keeping  his  eye  constantly  on  the  cattle. 

A  certain  Bishop  of  Tionyem  lost  his  cattle  by  the  herdsmen  having 
looked  away  from  them,  beguiled  by  a  spirit  in  the  shape  of  a  noble  elk. 
The  herdsmen,  looking  towards  their  charge  again,  saw  them  reduced  to 
the  size  of  mice,  just  vanishing  through  a  crevice  in  the  hillside.  Hence 
the  Norwegian  proverb  used  to  warn  any  one  to  look  after  his  property, 
"  Remember  the  Bishop  of  Tronyem's  cattle." 


130  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

body  should  go  but  herself.  She  could  not  answer  to 
Erlingsen  for  letting  one  of  his  children  follow  the 
steps  of  a  pirate,  who  might  return  at  any  moment. 

Frolich  had  no  longer  any  wish  to  go.  She  started 
off  towards  the  sleeping-shed,  and  never  stopped  till 
she  had  entered  it,  and  driven  a  provision-chest  against 
the  door,  leaving  Erica  far  behind. 

Erica,  indeed,  was  in  no  hurry  to  follow.  She  re- 
turned for  her  bundle  and  lure  :  and  then,  uneasy  about 
the  cattle  being  left  without  an  eye  upon  them,  and 
thus  confided  to  the  negligence  of  the  underground 
people,  she  proceeded  to  an  eminence  where  two  or 
three  of  her  cows  were  grazing,  and  there  sounded  her 
lure.  She  put  her  whole  strength  to  it,  in  hope  that 
others,  besides  the  cattle,  might  appear  in  answer ;  for 
she  was  really  anxious  to  see  her  master. 

The  peculiar  and  far  from  musical  sounds  did  spread 
wide  over  the  pastures,  and  up  the  slopes,  and  through 
the  distant  woods,  so  that  the  cattle  of  another  seater 
stood  to  listen,  and  her  own  cows  began  to  move, — 
leaving  the  sweetest  tufts  of  grass,  and  rising  up  from 
their  couches  in  the  richest  herbage,  to  converge 
towards  the  point  whence  she  called.  The  far-off 
herdsman  observed  to  his  fellow  that  there  was  a  new 
call  among  the  pastures ;  and  Erlingsen,  on  the  upland, 
desired  Jan  and  Stiorna  to  finish  cocking  the  hay,  and 
began  his  descent  to  his  seater,  to  learn  whether  Erica 
had  brought  any  news  from  home. 

Long  before  he  could  appear,  Frolich  stole  out  trem- 
bling, and  looking  round  her  at  every  step.  When  she 
saw  Erica,  she  flew  over  the  grass,  and  threw  herself 
down  in  it  at  Erica's  feet. 

"Where  is  he?"  she  whispered.  "Has  he  come 
back?" 

"  I  have  not  seen  him.  I  dare  say  he  is  as  far  off  by 
this  time  as  the  Black  Tarn,  where  I  met  with  him." 

"The  Black  Tarn!  And  do  }'ou  mean  that — no, 
you    cannot   mean  that   }'ou  came  all  the  way  together 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  131 

from  the  Black  Tarn  hither.  Did  you  run?  Did  you 
fly?  Did  you  shriek?  Oh,  what  did  you  do? — with  a 
pirate  at  your  heels  !  " 

"  By  my  side,"  said  Erica.     "  We  walked  and  talked." 

"  With  a  pirate  !  But  how  did  you  know  it  was  a 
pirate?     Did  he  tell  you  so?  " 

"No:  and  at  first  I  thought," — and  she  sank  her 
voice  into  a  reverential  whisper, —  "  I  thought  for  some 
time  it  was  the  demon  of  this  place.  When  I  found  it 
was  only  a  pirate,  I  did  not  mind." 

"  Only  a  pirate  !  Did  not  mind  !  "  exclaimed  Frolich. 
"  You  are  the  strangest  girl !  You  are  the  most  perverse 
creature  !  You  think  nothing  of  a  pirate  walking  at  your 
elbow  for  miles,  and  you  would  make  a  slave  of  your- 
self and  me  about  these  underground  people,  that  my 
father  laughs  at,  and  that  nobody  ever  saw.  Ah  !  you 
say  nothing  aloud  ;  but  I  know  you  are  saying  in  your 
own  mind,  '  Remember  the  Bishop  of  Tronyem's  cattle.' " 

"You  want  news,"  said  Erica,  avoiding,  as  usual,  all 
conversation  about  her  superstitions.  "  How  will  it 
please  you  that  the  bishop  is  coming?" 

"Very  much,  if  we  had  any  chance  of  seeing  him. 
Very  much,  whether   we  see  him  or  not,  if  he  can  give 

any  help, —  any  advice My  poor  Erica,  I  do  not 

like  to  ask,  but  you  have  had  no  good  news,  I  fear." 

Erica  shook  her  head. 

"I  saw  that  in  your  face,  in  a  moment.  Do  not 
speak  about  it  till  you  tell  my  father ;  he  may  help 
you  —  I  cannot;    so  do  not  tell  me  anything." 

Erica  was  glad  to  take  her  at  her  word.  She  kissed 
Frolich's  hand,  which  lay  on  her  knee,  in  token  of 
thanks,  and  then  inquired  whether  any  Gammel  cheese 
was  made  yet. 

"  No,"  said  Frolich,  inwardly  sighing  for  news.  "  W'e 
have  the  whey,  but  not  sweet  cream  enough  till  after 
this  evening's  milking;    so  you  are  just  in  time." 

Erica  was  glad,  as  she  could  not  otherwise  have  been 
sure  of  the  demon  having  his  due. 


132  FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD. 

"  There  is  your  father,"  said  Erica.  "  Now  do  go 
and  gather  more  berries,  Frolich  ;  there  are  not  half 
enough,  and  you  cannot  be  afraid  of  the  pirate,  with 
your  father  within  call.     Now  do  go." 

"  You  want  me  not  to  hear  what  you  have  to  tell  my 
father,"  said  Frolich,  unwilling  to  depart. 

"That  is  very  true.  I  shall  tell  him  nothing  till  you 
are  out  of  hearing;  he  can  repeat  to  you  what  he 
pleases  afterwards,  and  he  will  indulge  you  all  the  more 
for  your  giving  him  a  good  supper." 

"  So  he  will,  and  I  will  fill  his  cup  myself,"  observed 
Frolich.  "  He  says  the  corn-brandy  is  uncommonly 
good,  and  I  will  fill  his  cup  till  it  will  not  hold  another 
drop." 

"You  will  not  reach  his  heart  that  way,  Frolich.  He 
knows  to  a  drop  what  his  quantity  is,  and  there  he 
stops." 

"I  know  where  there  are  some  manyberries  *  ripe," 
said  Frolich,  "  and  he  likes  them  above  all  berries. 
They  lie  this  way,  at  the  edge  of  the  swamp,  where  the 
pirate  will  never  think  of  coming." 

And  off  she  went,  as  Erica  rose  from  the  grass  to 
courtesy  to  Erlingsen  on  his  approach. 

*  The  Moltehreer,  or  manyberrie?,  so  called  from  its  clustered  appear- 
ance. It  is  a  delicious  fruit,  amber-colored  when  ripe,  and  growing  in 
marshy  ground. 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 33 

CHAPTER    XI. 

dairymaids'  talk. 

It  may  be  supposed  that  Erlingsen  was  anxious  to 
be  at  home,  when  he  had  heard  Erica's  story.  He  was 
not  to  be  detained  by  any  promise  of  berries  and  cream 
for  supper.  He  put  away  the  thought  even  of  his  hay, 
yet  unfinished  on  the  upland,  and  would  hear  noth- 
ing that  Frolich  had  to  say  of  his  fatigue  at  the  end  of 
a  long  working  day.  He  took  some  provision  with 
him,  drank  off  a  glass  of  corn-brandy,  kissed  Frolich, 
promised  to  send  news,  and,  if  possilDle,  more  helping 
hands,  and  set  off,  at  a  good  pace,  down  the  moun- 
tain. 

The  party  he  left  behind  was  a  dull  one.  When  Jan 
came  in  to  supper  he  became  angry  that  he  was  left  to 
get  in  the  hay  alone ;  even  Stiorna  could  not  help  him 
to-morrow,  for  the  cheese-making  had  already  been 
put  off  too  long  while  waiting  for  Erica's  arrival,  and 
it  must  now  be  delayed  no  longer.  It  was  true  some 
one  was  to  be  sent  from  below,  but  such  an  one  could 
not  arrive  before  the  next  evening,  and  Jan  would 
meanwhile  have  a  long  day  alone,  instead  of  having,  as 
hitherto,  his  master  for  a  comrade.  Stiorna,  for  her 
part,  was  offended  at  the  wish,  openly  expressed  by  all, 
that  Hund  might  not  be  the  person  sent;  she  was  sure 
he  was  the  only  proper  person,  but  she  saw  that  he 
would  meet  with  no  welcome,  except  from  her. 

Scarcely  a  word  was  spoken  till  Erica  and  Frolich 
were  about  their  cheese-making  the  next  morning. 
Erica  had  rather  have  kept  the  cattle,  but  Frolich  so 
earnestly  begged  that  she  would  let  Stiorna  do  that,  as 
she  could  not  destroy  the  cattle  in  her  ill-humor,  while 
she  might  easily  spoil  the  cheese,  that  Erica  put  away 


134  FEATS    0\   THE    FIORD. 

her  knitting,  tied  on  her  apron,  tucketl   up   her  sleeves, 
and  prepared  for  the  great  work. 

"There!  let  her  go !"  cried  Frolich,  looking  after 
Stiorna,  as  she  walked  away  slowly,  trailing  her  lure 
after  her.  "  She  may  knit  all  her  ill-humor  into  her 
stocking,  if  she  likes,  as  Hund  is  to  wear  it,  and  that  is 
better  than  putting  it  into  our  cheese.  Erica,"  said 
the  kind-hearted  girl,  "  you  are  worth  a  hundred  of 
her.  What  has  she  to  disturb  her,  in  comparison  with 
you?  —  and  yet  you  do  just  what  I  ask  you,  and  work 
at  our  business  as  if  nothing  was  the  matter.  If  you 
chose  to  cry  all  day  on  the  two  graves  down  there  at 
home,  nobody  could  think  it  unreasonable." 

Erica  was  washing  the  bowls  and  cheese-moulds  in 
juniper-water  at  this  moment ;  and  her  tears  streamed 
down  upon  them  at  Frolich's  kind  words. 

"  We  had  better  not  talk  about  such  things,  dear," 
said  she,  as  soon  as  she  could  speak. 

"  Nay,  now,  I  think  it  is  the  best  thing  we  can  do, 
Erica.  Here,  pour  me  this  cream  into  the  pan  over 
the  fire,  and  I  will  stir,  while  you  strain  some  more  whey. 
My  back  is  towards  you,  and  I  cannot  see  you  ;  and 
you  can  cry  as  you  like,  while  I  tell  you  all  I  think." 

Erica  found  that  this  free  leave  to  cry  unseen  was  a 
great  help  towards  stopping  her  tears  ;  and  she  ceased 
weeping  entirely  while  listening  to  all  that  Frolich  had 
to  say  in  favor  of  Rolf  being  still  alive  and  safe.  It 
was  no  great  deal  that  could  be  said ;  only  that  Hund's 
news  was  more  likely  to  be  false  than  true,  and  that 
there  was  no  other  evidence  of  any  accident  having 
happened. 

"My  dear!"  exclaimed  Erica;  "where  is  he  now, 
then? — why  is  he  not  here?  Oh,  Frolich!  I  can 
hardly  wonder  that  we  are  punished  when  I  think  of 
our  presumption.  When  we  were  talking  beside  those 
graves  on  the  day  of  UUa's  funeral,  he  laughed  at  me 
for  even  speaking  of  death  and  separation.  '  What ! 
at  our  age  !  '  he  said.      '  Death  at  our  age, —  and  sepa- 


FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD.  1 35 

ration!' — and   that   with  Henrica's    grave   before    our 
eyes ! " 

"Then,  perhaps,  this  will  prove  to  be  a  short  and 
gentle  separation,  to  teach  him  to  speak  more  humbly. 
There  is  no  being  in  the  universe  that  would  send  death 
to  punish  light,  gay  words,  spoken  from  a  joyful  heart. 
If  there  were,  I  and  many  others  should  have  been  in 
our  graves  long  since.  Why,  Erica  !  this  is  even  a  worse 
reason  than  Hund's  word.  Now,  just  tell  me,  Erica, 
would  you  believe  anything  else  that  Hund  said?  " 

"  In  a  common  way,  perhaps  not :  but  you  cannot 
think  what  a  changed  man  he  is,  Frolich.  He  is  so 
humbled,  so  melancholy,  so  awe-struck,  that  he  is  not 
like  the  same  man." 

"  He  may  not  be  the  better  for  that.  He  was  more 
frightened  than  anybody  at  the  moment  the  owl  cried,  on 
your  betrothment  night,  when  you  fancied  that  Nipen 
had  carried  off  Oddo.  Yet  never  did  I  see  Hund  more 
malicious  than  he  was  half  an  hour  afterwards,  I 
doubt  whether  any  such  fright  would  make  a  liar  into 
a  truthful  man,  in  a  moment." 

Erica  now  remembered  and  told  the  falsehood  of 
Hund  about  what  he  was  doing  when  the  boat  was 
spirited  away :  —  a  falsehood  told  in  the  very  midst  of 
the  humiliation  and  remorse  she  had  described. 

"  Why  there  now!  "  exclaimed  Frolich,  ceasing  her 
stirring  for  a  moment  to  look  round;  "  what  a  capital 
story  that  is  !  and  how  few  people  know  it !  and  how 
neatly  you  catch  him  in  his  fib  !  And  why  should  not 
something  like  it  be  happening  now  with  Rolf?  Rolf 
knows  all  the  ins  and  outs  of  the  fiord  :  and  if  he  has  been 
playing  bopeep  with  his  enemies  among  the  islands, 
and  frightening  Hund,  is  it  not  the  most  natural  thing  in 
the  world  that  Hund  should  come  scampering  home, 
and  get  his  place,  and  say  that  he  is  lost,  while  waiting 
to  see  whether  he  is  or  not !  —  Oh  dear  ! "  she  exclaimed 
after  a  pause,  during  which  Erica  did  not  attempt  to 
speak,  "  I  know  what  I  wish." 


136 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 


"  You  wish  something  kind,  dear,  I  am  sure,"  said 
Erica,  with  a  deep  sigh. 

"We  have  so  many,  —  so  very  many  nice,  useful 
things,  —  we  can  go  up  the  mountains  and  sail  away 
over  the  seas,  —  and  look  far  abroad  into  the  sky.  I 
only  wish  we  could  do  one  little  thing  more.  I  really 
think,  having  so  many  things,  we  might  have  had  just 
one  little  thing  more  given  us; — and  that  is  wings. 
I  grudge  them  to  yonder  screaming  eagles,  when  I 
want  them  so  much  !  " 

"My  dear  child,  what  strange  things  you  say!  " 
"  I  do  so  very  much  want  to  fly  abroad  just  for  once 
over  the  fiord.  If  I  could  but  look  down  into  every 
nook  and  cove  between  Thor  Islet  and  the  sea,  I  would 
not  be  long  in  bringing  you  news.  If  I  did  not  see 
Rolf,  I  would  tell  you  plainl}-.  Really,  at  such  times  it 
seems    very    odd     that    we    have    not    wings." 

"  P  e  r  h  a  p  s 
the  time  may 
come,  dear." 

"  I  can  never 
want  them  so 
much  again." 

"  ]\Iy  dear, 
}'  o  u  cannot 
want  them  as  I 
do,  if  I  dared 
to  say  such 
bold  things  as 
you  do.  You 
are  not  weary 
of  the  world, 
Frolich." 

"What!   this  beautiful  world?      Are  )-ou  wear}'  of  it 
all,  Erica?  " 
"Yes,  dear." 

"What!  of  the  airy  mountains,  and  the  silent  for- 
ests, and  the  lonely  lakes,  and  the  blue  glaciers,  with 


FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD.  1 37 

flowers  fringing  them?  Are  you  quite  weary  of  all 
these?" 

"  Oh  that  I  had  wings  like  a  dove  !  Then  would  I 
fly  away,  and  be  at  rest."  Erica  hardl}'  murmured 
these  words  ;  but  Frolich  caught  them. 

'*  Do  you  know,"  said  she,  softly,  after  a  pause,  "  I 
doubt  whether  w^e  can  find  rest  by  going  to  any  place, 
in  this  world  or  out  of  it,  unless — if —  The  truth 
is.  Erica,  I  know  my  father  and  mother  think  that 
people  who  are  afraid  of  selfish  and  revengeful  spirits, 
such  as  demons  and  Nipen,  can  never  have  any  peace 
of  mind.  Really  religious  people  have  their  way 
straight  before  them; — they  have  only  to  do  right, 
and  God  is  their  friend,  and  they  can  bear  everything, 
and  fear  nothing.  But  the  people  about  us  are  always 
in  a  fright  about  some  selfish  being  or  another  not 
being  properly  humored,  and  so  being  displeased.  I 
w^ould  not  be  in  such  bondage.  Erica,  — no,  not  for  the 
wings  I  was  longing  for  just  now.  I  should  be  freer  if 
I  were  rooted  like  a  tree,  and  without  superstition,  than 
if  I  had  the  wings  of  an  eagle,  Avith  a  belief  in  selfish 
demons." 

"  Let  us  talk  of  something  else,"  said  Erica,  who  was 
at  the  very  moment  considering  where  the  mountain 
demon  would  best  like  to  have  his  Gammel  cheese  laid. 
"  What  is  the  quality  of  the  cream,  Frolich?  Is  it  as 
good  as  it  ought  to  be?  " 

"  Stiorna  would  say  that  the  demon  will  smack  his 
lips  over  it.     Come  and  taste." 

"  Do  not  speak  so,  dear." 

"I  was  only  quoting  Stiorna  —  " 

"What  are  you  saying  about  me?"  mquired  Stiorna, 
appearing  at  the  door.  "Only  talking  about  the 
cream  and  the  cheese?  Are  you  sure  of  that?  Bless 
me  !  what  a  smell  of  the  yellow  flowers  !  It  will  be  a 
prime  cheese." 

"How  can  you  leave  the  cattle,  Stiorna?"  cried 
Erica.      "  If  they  are  all  gone  when  you  get  back — " 


138 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 


"Well,  come,  then,  and  see  the  sight.  I  get  scolded 
either  way,  alwa^'s.  Vou  would  have  scolded  me 
finely    to-night    if   I    had    not    called    }-ou    to  see  the 

sight —  " 

"What  sight?  " 
"  Why,  there  is 
such  a  procession 
of  boats  on  the 
fiord,  that  you 
would  suppose 
there  were  three 
weddings  happen- 
ing at  once." 

"  What  can  we 
do?"  exclaimed 
Frolich,  dolefully 
looking  at  the 
cream,  which  had 
reached  such  a 
point  as  that  the 
stirring  could  not 
cease  for  a  min- 
ute without  risk 
of  spoiling  the 
cheese. 

Erica  took  the 
long  wooden  spoon  from  Frolich's  hand,  and  bade 
her  run  and  see  where  the  bishop  was  going  to  land. 
The  cream  should  not  spoil  while  she  was  absent. 

Frolich  bounded  away  over  the  grass,  declaring  that  if 
it  was  the  bishop,  going  to  her  father's,  she  could  not 
possibly  stay  on  the  mountain  for  all  the  cheeses  in 
Nordland.  —  Erica  remained  alone,  patiently  stirring 
the  cream,  and  hardly  heeding  the  heat  of  the  fire, 
while  planning  how  the  bishop  would  be  told  her  story, 
and  how  he  would  examine  Hund,  and  perhaps  be  able 
to  give  some  news  of  the  pirates,  and  certainly  be 
ready  with  his  advice.     Some   degree    of  hope    arose 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 39 

within  her  as  she  thought  of  the  esteem  in  which  all  Nor- 
way hold  the  wisdom  and  kindness  of  the  bishop  of 
Tronyem :  and  then  again  she  felt  it  hard  to  be  absent 
during  the  visit  of  the  only  person  to  whom  she  looked 
for   comfort. 

Frolich  returned  after  a  long  while,  to  defer  her 
hopes  a  little.  The  boats  had  all  drawn  to  shore  on 
the  northern  side  of  the  fiord,  where,  no  doubt,  the 
bishop  had  a  visit  to  pay  before  proceeding  to  Erling- 
sen's.  The  cheese-making  might  yet  be  done  in  time, 
even  if  Frolich  should  be  sent  for  home,  to  see  and  be 
seen  by  the  good  bishop. 


I40  FEATS    OX   THE    FIURD. 

CHAPTER    XII. 

PEDER    AliRUAD. 

The  day  after  Erica's  departure  to  the  dairy,  Peder 
was  sitting  alone  in  his  house,  weaving  a  frail  basket. 
Sometimes  he  sighed  to  think  how  empty  and  silent 
the  house  appeared  to  what  he  had  ever  known  it 
before.  Ulla's  wheel  stood  in  the  corner,  and  was  now 
never  to  be  heard,  any  more  than  her  feeble,  aged 
voice,  which  had  sung  ballads  to  the  last.  Erica's 
light,  active  step  was  gone  for  the  present,  and  would 
it  ever  again  be  as  light  and  active  as  it  had  been? 
Rolf's  hearty  laugh  was  silent;  perhaps  forever.  Oddo 
was  an  inmate  still,  but  Oddo  was  much  altered  of  late, 
and  who  could  wonder?  Though  the  boy  was  strangely 
unbelieving  about  some  things,  he  could  not  but 
feel  how  wonders  and  misfortunes  had  crowded 
upon  one  another  since  the  night  of  his  defiance  of 
Xipen. 

From  the  hour  of  Hund's  return,  the  boy  had  hardly 
been  heard  to  speak.  All  these  thoughts  were  too 
melancholy  for  old  Peder,  and,  to  break  the  silence,  he 
began  to  sing  as  he  wove  his  basket. 

He  had  nearly  got  through  a  ballad  of  a  hundred 
and  five  stanzas,  when  he  heard  a  footstep  on  the 
floor. 

"Oddo,  my  boy,"  said  he,  "  surely  you  are  in  early. 
Can  it  be  dinner-time  yet?  " 

"  Xo,  not  this  hour,"  replied  Oddo,  in  a  low  voice, 
which  sank  to  a  whisper  as  he  said,  "  I  have  left  Hund 
laying  the  troughs  to  water  the  meadow,  and  if  he 
misses  me,  I  don't  care.  I  could  not  stay;  — I  could 
not  help  coming; — and  if  he  kills  me  for  telling  you, 
he  may,  for  tell  you  I  must." 


FEATS    ON    THE   FIORD.  I41 

And  Oddo  went  to  close  and  fasten  the  door,  and 
then  he  sat  down  on  the  ground,  rested  his  arms  on 
his  grandfather's  knees,  and  told  his  story  in  such  a 
low  tone  that  no  "  little  bird  "  under  the  eaves  could 
"  carry  the  matter." 

"  O  grandfather,  what  a  mind  that  fellow  has  !  he 
will  go  crazy  with  horror  soon.  I  am  not  sure  that  he 
is  not  crazy  now." 

"  He  has  murdered  Rolf,  has  he?  " 

"  I  can't  be  sure,  but  the  oddest  thing  is  that  he  mixes 
up  wolves  with  his  rambling  talk.  Rolf  can  hardly  have 
met  with  mischief  from  any  wolf  at  this  season." 

"  Xo,  bo}' ;  not  Rolf.  But  did  not  Hund  speak  of 
orphan  children,  and  how  wolves  have  been  known  to 
devour  them  w^hen  snow  was  on  the  ground?  " 

"  Why,  yes,"  said  Oddo,  surprised  at  such  a  guess. 

"  There  was  a  reason  for  Hund's  talking  so  of 
wolves,  my  dear.  Tell  me  quick  what  he  said  of  Rolf, 
and  what  made  him  say  anything  to  you,  —  to  an 
inquisitive  boy  like  you." 

"  He  is  like  one  bewitched,  that  cannot  hold  his 
tongue.  While  I  was  bringing  the  troughs,  one  by 
cne,  for  him  to  lay  where  the  meadow  was  driest,  he 
still  kept  muttering  and  muttering  to  himself.  As 
often  as  I  came  within  six  yards  of  him,  I  heard  him 
mutter,  mutter;  then,  when  I  helped  him  to  lay  the 
troughs,  he  began  to  talk  to  me.  I  was  not  in  the 
mind  to  make  him  many  answers,  but  on  he  went,  just 
the  same  as  if  I  had  asked  him  a  hundred  questions." 

"  It  was  such  an  opportunity  for  a  curious  boy,  that 
I  wonder  you  did  not." 

"  Perhaps  I  might,  if  he  had  stopped  long  enough. 
But  if  he  stopped  for  a  moment  to  wipe  his  brows,  he 
began  again  before  I  could  well  speak.  He  asked  me 
whether  I  had  ever  heard  that  drowned  men  could 
show  their  heads  above  water,  and  stare  with  their 
eyes,  and  throw  their  arms  about,  a  whole  day, — two 
days,   after  they  were  drowned." 


142  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD; 

"Ay!   indeed!      Did  he  ask  that?  " 

"  Vcs,  and  several  other  things:  he  asked  whether  I 
had  ever  heard  that  the  islets  in  the  fiord  were  so  many 
prison-houses." 

"  And  what  did  }'ou  say?  " 

"  I  wanted  him  to  explain  ;  so  I  said  they  were  prison- 
houses  to  the  eider-ducks  when  they  were  sitting,  for 
they  never  stir  a  yard  from  their  nests.  But  he  did 
not  heed  a  word  I  spoke ;  he  went  on  about  drowned 
men  being  kept  prisoners  in  the  islets,  moaning  because 
they  can't  get  out.  And  he  says  they  will  knock, 
knock,  as  if  they  could  cleave  the  thick  hard  rock." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  all  this,  my  boy?  " 

"  Why,  when  I  said  I  had  not  heard  a  word  of  any 
such  thing,  even  from  my  grandmother  or  Erica,  he 
declared  he  had  heard  the  moans  himself, —  moaning 
and  crying;  but  then  he  mixed  up  something  about 
the  barking  of  wolves  that  made  confusion  in  the  story. 
Though  he  had  been  hot  just  before,  there  he  stood 
shivering,  as  if  it  was  winter,  as  he  stood  in  the  broiling 
sun.  Then  I  asked  him  if  he  had  seen  dead  men  swim 
and  stare,  as  he  said  he  had  heard  them  moan  and 
cry." 

"  And  what  did  he  say  then?  " 

"  He  started  bolt  upright,  as  if  I  had  been  picking 
his  pocket.  He  was  in  a  passion  for  a  minute,  I  know, 
if  ever  he  was  in  his  life.  Then  he  tried  to  laugh  as  he 
said  what  a  lot  of  new  stories  —  stories  of  spirits,  such 
stories  as  people  love  —  he  should  have  to  carry  home 
to  the  north,  whenever  he  went  back  to  his  own  place." 

"In  the  north,  —  his  own  place  in  the  north  !  He 
wanted  to  mislead  you  there,  boy.  Hund  was  born 
some  way  to  the  south." 

"No,  was  he  real!}-?  How  is  one  to  believe  a  word 
he  says,  except  when  he  speaks  as  if  he  was  in  his 
sleep,  —  straight  out  from  his  conscience,  I  suppose? 
He  began  to  talk  about  the  bishop  next,  wanting  to 
know  when  I  thought  he  would   come,  and  whether  he 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 43 

was  apt  to  hold  private  talk  with  every  sort  of  person 
at  the  houses  he  stayed  at." 

"How  did  you  answer  him?  You  know  nothing 
about  the  bishop's  visits." 

"  So  I  told  him  :  but,  to  try  him,  I  said  I  knew  one 
thing,  —  that  a  quantity  of  fresh  fish  would  be  wanted 
when  the  bishop  comes  with  his  train  ;  and  I  asked  him 
whether  he  would  go  fishing  with  me,  as  soon  as  we 
should  hear  that  the  bishop  was  drawing  near." 

"  He  would  not  agree  to  that,  I  fancy." 

"  He  asked  how  far  out  I  thought  of  going.  Of  course 
I  said  to  Vogel  Islet, —  at  least  as  far  as  Vogel  Islet. 
Do  you  know,  grandfather,  I  thought  he  would  have 
knocked  me  down  at  the  word.  He  muttered  some- 
thing, I  could  not  hear  what,  to  get  off.  By  that  time 
we  were  laying  the  last  trough.  I  asked  him  to  go  for 
some  more,  and  the  minute  he  was  out  of  sight  I 
scampered  here.  Now,  what  sort  of  a  mind  do  you 
think  this  fellow  has?" 

"  Not  an  easy  one,  it  is  plain.  It  is  too  clear  also 
that  he  thinks  Rolf  is  drowned." 

"  But  do  you  think  so,  grandfather?  " 

"Do  you  think  so,  grandson?" 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it.  Depend  upon  it,  Rolf  is  all  alive, 
if  he  is  swimming  and  staring,  and  throwing  his  arms 
about  in  the  water.  I  think  I  see  him  now.  And  I 
will  see  him,  if  he  is  to  be  seen,  alive  or  dead." 

"  And  pray,  how?" 

"  I  ought  to  have  said  if  you  will  help  me.  You  say, 
sometimes,  grandfather,  that  }'ou  can  pull  a  good  stroke 
with  the  oar  still:  and  I  can  steer  as  well  as  our  master 
himself:  and  the  fiord  never  was  stiller  than  it  is  to-day. 
Think  what  it  would  be  to  bring  home  Rolf  or  some 
good  news  of  him.  We  would  have  a  race  up  to  the 
seater  afterwards  to  see  who  could  be  the  first  to  tell 
Erica." 

"  Gently,  gently,  bo}- !  What  is  Rolf  about  not  to 
come  home,  if  he's  alive?  " 


144  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

"  That  we  shall  learn  from  him.  Did  you  hear  that 
he  told  Erica  he  should  go  as  far  as  Vogel  Islet,  drop- 
ping something  about  being  safe  there  from  pirates  and 
everything?  " 

Peder  reall>'  thought  there  was  something  in  this. 
He  sent  off  Oddo  to  his  work  in  the  little  meadow,  and 
himself  sought  out  Madame  Erlingsen,  who,  having  less 
belief  in  spirits  and  enchantments  than  Peder,  was  in 
proportion  more  struck  with  the  necessity  of  seeing 
whether  there  was  any  meaning  in  Hund's  revelations, 
lest  Rolf  should  be  perishing  for  want  of  help.  The 
story  of  his  disappearance  had  spread  through  the 
whole  region  ;  and  there  was  not  a  fisherman  on  the 
fiord  who  had  not,  by  this  time,  given  an  opinion  as  to 
how  he  was  drowned.  But  Madame  was  well  aware 
that,  if  he  were  only  wrecked,  there  was  no  sign  that 
he  could  make  that  would  not  terrify  the  superstitious 
minds  of  the  neighbors,  and  make  them  keep  aloof, 
instead  of  helping  him.  In  addition  to  all  this,  it  was 
doubtful  whether  his  signals  would  be  seen  by  any- 
body, at  a  season  when  every  one  who  could  be  spared 
was  gone  up  to  the  dairies. 

As  soon  as  Hund  was  gone  out  after  dinner,  the  old 
man  and  his  grandson  put  off  in  the  boat,  carrying  a 
note  from  Madame  Erlingsen  to  her  neighbors  along 
the  fiord,  requesting  the  assistance  of  one  or  two  rowers 
on  an  occasion  which  might  prove  one  of  life  and  death. 
The  neighbors  were  obliging.  The  Holbergs  sent  a 
stout  farm-servant  with  directions  to  call  at  a  cousin's, 
lower  down,  for  a  boatman ;  so  that  the  boat  was  soon 
in  fast  career  down  the  fiord, —  Oddo  full  of  expecta- 
tion, and  of  pride  in  commanding  such  an  expedition  ; 
and  Peder  being  relieved  from  all  necessity  of  rowing 
more  than  he  liked. 

Oddo  had  found  occasionally  the  truth  of  a  common 
proverb;  he  had  easily  brought  his  master's  horses  to 
the  water,  but  could  not  make  them  drink.  He  now 
found  that  he  had  easily  got  rowers  into  the  boat,  but 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 


145 


that  it  was  impossible  to  make  them  row  beyond  a 
certain  point.  He  had  used  as  much  discretion  as 
Peder  himself  about  not  revealing  the  precise  place  of 
their  destination ;  and  when  Vogel  Islet  came  in  sight, 
the  two  helpers  at  once  gave  him  hints  to  steer  so  as  to 
keep  as  near  the  shore,  and  as  far  from  the  island,  as 
possible.  Oddo  gravely  steered  for  the  island,  not- 
withstanding. When  the  men  saw  that  this  was  his 
resolution,  they  shipped  their  oars,  and  refused  to  strike 
another  stroke,  unless  one  of  them  might  steer.  That 
island  had  a  bad  reputation :  it  was  bewitched  or 
haunted  ;  and  in  that  direction  the  men  would  not  go. 
They  were  willing  to  do  all  they  could  to  oblige  ;  they 
would  row  twenty  miles  without  resting,  with  pleasure ; 
but  they  would  not  brave  Nipen,  nor  any  other  demon, 
for  any  consideration. 

"  How  far  off  is  it,  Oddo?  "  asked  Peder. 

"Two  miles, 
grandfather. 
Can  you  and 
I  manage  it 
by  ourselves,  "^ 
think  you  ?  " 

"Ay,  surely, 
if  we  can  land 
these  friends 
of  ours.  They 
will  wait  ashore 
till  we  call  for 
them  again." 

"I  will  leave 
you  my  supper 
if  you  will  wait 
for  us  here,  on  this  headland,"  said  Oddo  to  the  men. 

The  men  could  make  no  other  objection  than  that 
they  were  certain  the  boat  would  never  return.  They 
were  very  civil  —  would  not  accept  Oddo's  supper 
on  anv  account  —  would  remain  on  the  watch  —  wished 


146  FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD. 

their  friends  would  be  persuaded;  and,  when  they 
found  all  persuasion  in  vain,  declared  they  would  bear 
testimony  to  Erica,  and  as  long  as  they  should  live,  to 
the  bravery  of  the  old  man  and  boy  who  thus  threw 
away  their  lives  in  search  of  a  comrade  who  had  fallen 
a  victim  to  Nipen. 

Amidst  these  friendly  words  the  old  man  and  his 
grandson  put  off  once  more  alone,  making  straight  for 
the  islet.  Of  the  two  Peder  was  the  greater  hero,  for 
he  saw  the  most  ground  for  fear. 

"  Promise  me,  Oddo,"  said  he,  "  not  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  my  not  seeing.  As  sure  as  you  observe 
anything  strange,  tell  me  exactly  what  you  see." 

"  I  will,  grandfather.  There  is  nothing  yet  but  what 
is  so  beautiful  that  I  could  not,  for  the  life  of  me,  find 
out  anything  to  be  afraid  of.  The  water  is  as  green 
as  our  best  pasture,  as  it  washes  up  against  the  gray 
rock.  And  that  gray  rock  is  all  crested  and  tufted  with 
green  again  wherever  a  bush  can  spring.  It  is  all 
alive  with  sea-birds,  as  white  as  snow,  as  they  wheel 
about  it  in  the  sun." 

"  'Tis  the  very  place,"  said  Peder,  putting  new  strength 
into  his  old  arm.  Oddo  rowed  stoutly  too  for  some 
way,  and  then  he  stopped  to  ask  on  what  side  the 
remains  of  a  birch  ladder  used  to  hang  down,  as  Peder 
had  often  told  him. 

"  On  the  north  side ;  but  there  is  no  use  in  looking 
for  that,  my  boy.  That  birch  ladder  must  have  rotted 
away  with  frost  and  wet  long  and  long  ago." 

"  It  is  likely,"  said  Oddo;  "  but  thinking  that  some 
man  must  have  put  it  there,  I  should  like  to  see  whether 
it  really  is  impossible  for  one  with  a  strong  hand  and 
light  foot  to  mount  this  wall.  I  brought  our  longest 
boat-hook  on  purpose  to  try.  Where  a  ladder  hung 
before,  a  foot  must  have  climbed ;  and  if  I  mount, 
Rolf  may  have  mounted  before  me." 

It  chilled  Peder's  heart  to  remember  the  aspect  of 
the  precipice  which  his  boy  talked  of  climbing;  but  he 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 


147 


said  nothing,  feeling  that  it  would  be  in  vain.  This 
forbearance  touched  Oddo's  feelings. 

"  I  will  run  into  no  foil}',  trust  me,"  said  he.  "  I  do 
not  forget  that  you  depend  on  me  for  getting  home  ; 
and  that  the  truth,  about  Xipen  and  such  things, 
depends,  for  an  age  to  come,  on  our  being  seen  at 
home  again  safe.  But  I  have  a  pretty  clear  notion 
that  Rolf  is  some- 
where on  the  top 
there." 

"Suppose  you 
call  him,  then." 

Oddo  had  much 
rather  catch  him. 
He  pictured  to  him- 
self the  pride  and 
pleasure  of  master- 
ing the  ascent ;  the 
delight  of  surprising 
Rolf  asleep  in  his 
solitude,  and  the  fun 
of  standing  over 
him  to  waken  him, 
and  witness  his  sur- 
prise. He  could  not 
give  up  the  attempt 
to  scale  the  rock ; 
but  he  would  do  it 
very  cautiously. 

Slowly  and  watch- 
fully they  passed 
round  the  islet, 
Oddo  seeking   with 

his  eye  any  ledge  of  the  rock  on  which  he  might 
mount.  Pulling  off  his  shoes,  that  his  bare  feet 
might  have  the  better  hold,  and  stripping  off  almost 
all  his  clothes,  for  lightness  in  climbing,  and  per- 
haps  swimming,   he  clambered  up  to  more    than  one 


148  FEATS    OX    THE    MORI). 

promising  spot,  and  then,  finding  that  further  progress 
was  impossible,  had  to  come  down  again.  At  last,  seeing 
a  narrow  chasm  filled  with  leafy  shrubs,  he  determined  to 
try  how  high  he  could  reach  by  means  of  these.  He 
swung  himself  up  by  means  of  a  bush  which  grew 
downwards,  having  its  roots  firmly  fixed  in  a  crevice  of 
the  roci<.  This  ga\'c  him  hold  of  another,  which 
brought  him  in  reach  of  a  third  ;  so  that,  making  his 
way  like  a  squirrel  or  a  monkey,  he  found  himself 
hanging  at  such  a  height,  that  it  seemed  easier  to  go 
on  than  to  turn  back.  P'or  some  time  after  leaving  his 
grandfather,  he  had  spoken  to  him,  as  an  assurance  of 
his  safety.  When  too  far  off  to  speak,  he  had  sung 
aloud,  to  save  the  old  man  from  fears ;  and  now  that 
he  did  not  feel  at  all  sure  whether  he  should  ever  get 
up  or  down,  he  began  to  whistle  cheerily.  He  was 
pleased  to  hear  it  answered  from  the  boat.  The 
thought  of  the  old  man  sitting  there  alone,  and  his 
return  wholly  depending  upon  the  safety  of  his  com- 
panion, animated  Oddo  afresh  to  find  a  way  up  the 
rock.  It  looked  to  him  as  like  a  wall  as  any  other 
rock  about  the  islet.  There  was  no  footing  where  he 
was  looking; — that  was  certain.  So  he  advanced 
farther  into  the  chasm,  where  the  rocks  so  nearly  met 
that  a  giant's  arm  might  have  touched  the  opposite  wall. 
Here  there  was  a  promise  of  release  from  his  dangerous 
situation.  At  the  end  of  a  ledge,  he  saw  something 
like  poles  hanging  on  the  rock,  —  some  work  of  human 
hands,  certainly.  Having  scrambled  towards  them,  he 
found  the  remains  of  a  ladder,  made  of  birch  poles, 
fastened  together  with  thongs  of  leather.  This  ladder 
had  once,  no  doubt,  hung  from  top  to  bottom  of  the 
chasm  ;  and  its  lower  part,  now  gone,  was  that  ladder 
of  which  Peder  had  often  spoken  as  a  proof  that  men 
had  been  on  the  island. 

With  a  careful  hand,  Oddo  pulled  at  the  ladder ;  and 
it  did  not  give  way.  He  tugged  harder,  and  still  it  only 
shook.     He  must  try  it;   there  was  nothing  else  to  be 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 49 

done.  It  was  well  for  him  now  that  he  was  used  to 
dangerous  climbinG:,  —  that  he  had  had  adventures  on 
the  slipper}',  cracked  glaciers  of  Sulitelma,  and  that 
being  on  a  height  with  precipices  below,  was  no  new 
situation  to  him.  He  climbed,  trusting  as  little  as  pos- 
sible to  the  ladder,  setting  his  foot  in  preference  on  any 
projection  of  the  rock,  or  any  root  of  the  smallest 
shrub.  More  than  one  pole  cracked  :  more  than  one 
fastening  gave  way,  when  he  had  barely  time  to  shift 
his  weight  upon  a  better  support.  He  heard  his  grand- 
father's voice  calling,  and  he  could  not  answer.  It 
disturbed  him,  now  that  his  joints  were  strained,  his 
limbs  trembling,  and  his  mouth  parched  so  that  his 
breath  rattled  as  it  came. 

He  reached  the  top,  however.  He  sprang  from  the 
edge  of  the  precipice,  unable  to  look  down,  threw  him- 
self on  his  face,  and  panted  and  trembled,  as  if  he  had 
never  before  climbed  anything  less  safe  than  a  staircase. 
Never  before,  indeed,  had  he  done  anything  like  this. 
The  feat  was  performed, — the  islet  was  not  to  him 
inaccessible.  This  thought  gav^e  him  strength.  He 
sprang  to  his  feet  again,  and  whistled  loud  and  shrill. 
He  could  imagine  the  comfort  this  must  be  to  Peder; 
and  he  whistled  more  and  more  merrily  till  he  found 
himself  rested  enough  to  proceed  on  his  search  for 
Rolf. 

Never  had  he  seen  a  place  so  full  of  water-birds  and 
their  nests.  Their  nests  strewed  all  the  ground  ;  and 
they  themselves  were  strutting  and  waddling,  fluttering 
and  vociferating,  in  every  direction.  They  were  perfectly 
tame,  knowing  nothing  of  men,  and  having  had  no 
experience  of  disturbance.  The  ducks  that  were  lead- 
ing their  broods  allowed  Oddo  to  stroke  their  feathers ; 
and  the  drakes  looked  on,  without  taking  any  offence. 

"  If  Rolf  is  here,"  thought  Oddo,  "  he  has  been  living 
on  most  amiable  terms  with  his  neighbors." 

After  an  anxious  thought  or  two  of  Nipen,  —  after  a 
glance  or  two   round  the  sky  and  shores   for  a  sign  of 


150  FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD. 

wind,  —  Oddo  began  in  earnest  his  quest  of  Rolf.      He 
called  his  name,  —  gently,  —  then  louder. 

There  was  some  kind  of  answer.  Some  sound  of 
human  voice  he  heard,  he  was  certain;  but  so  muffled. 
so  dull,  that  whence  it  came  he  could  not  tell.  It 
might  even  be  his  grandfather,  calling  from  below. 
So  he  crossed  to  quite  the  verge  of  the  little  island, 
wishing  with  all  his  heart  that  the  birds  would  be  quiet, 
and  cease  their  civility  of  all  answering  when  he  spoke. 
When  quite  out  of  hearing  of  Peder,  Oddo  called  again, 
with  scarcely  a  hope  of  any  result,  so  plain  was  it  to  his 
eyes  that  no  one  resided  on  the  island.  On  its  small 
summit  there  was  really  no  intermission  of  birds'  nests  ; 
no  space  where  any  one  had  lain  down ;  no  sign  of 
habitation ;  no  vestige  of  food,  dress,  or  utensils. 
With  a  saddened  heart,  therefore,  Oddo  called  again ; 
and  again  he  was  sure  there  was  an  answer;  though 
whence  and  what  he  could  not  make  out.  He  then 
sang  a  part  of  a  chant  that  he  had  learned  by  Rolf 
singing  it  as  he  sat  carving  his  share  of  the  new  pulpit. 
He  stopped  in  the  middle,  and  presently  believed  that 
he  heard  the  air  continued,  though  the  voice  seemed  so 
indistinct,  and  the  music  so  much  as  if  it  came  from 
underground,  that  Oddo  began  to  recall,  with  some 
doubt  and  fear,  the  stories  of  the  enchantment  of  the 
place.  It  was  not  long  before  he  heard  a  cry  from  the 
water  below.  Looking  over  the  precipice  he  saw 
what  made  him  draw  back  in  terror ;  he  saw  the  very 
thing  llund  had  described  —  the  swimming  and  staring 
head  of  Rolf,  and  the  arms  thrown  up  in  the  air.  Not 
having  Hund's  conscience,  however,  and  ha\ing  much 
more  curiosity,  he  looked  again ;  and  then  a  third 
time. 

'*  Are  you  Rolf,  really?  "  asked  he,  at  last. 

"Yes;  but  who  are  you, — Oddo  or  the  demon, — 
up  there  where  nobody  can  climb?  Who  are 
you  ?  " 

"  I   will  show  you.     We  will   find   each   other  out," 


FEATS    OX   THE   FIORD.  151 

thought  Oddo.  with  a  determination  to  take  the  leap, 
and  ascertain  the  truth.  He  leaped,  and  struck  the 
water  at  a  sufficient  distance  from  Rolf.  When  he 
came  up  again,  they  approached  each  other,  staring, 
and  each  with  some  doubt  as  to  whether  the  other  was 
human  or  a  demon. 

"Are  you  really  alive,  Rolf?  "  said  the  one. 

"To  be  sure  I  am,  Oddo,"  said  the  other:  "but 
what  demon  carried  you  to  the  top  of  that  rock,  that  no 
man  ever  climbed?" 

Oddo  looked  mysterious,  suddenly  resolving  to  keep 
his  secret  for  the  present. 

"  Not  that  way,"  said  Rolf.  "  I  have  not  the  strength 
I  had,  and  I  can't  swim  round  the  place  now.  I  was 
just  resting  myself  when  I  heard  you  call,  and  came 
out  to  see.      Follow  me  home." 

He  turned,  and  began  to  swim  homewards.  Oddo 
had  the  strongest  inclination  to  go  with  him,  to  see 
what  would  be  revealed  ;  but  there  were  two  objections. 
His  grandfather  must  be  growing  anxious ;  and  he  was 
not  perfectly  sure  }'et  whether  his  guide  might  not  be 
Nipen  in  Rolf's  likeness,  about  to  lead  him  to  some 
hidden  prison. 

"  Give  me   your   hand,  Rolf,"  said  the  boy,  bravely. 

It  was  a  real,  substantial,  warm  hand. 

"  I  don't  wonder  you  doubt,"  said  Rolf.  "  I  can't 
look  much  like  myself,  —  unshaven,  and  shrunk,  and 
haggard  as  my  face  must  be." 

Oddo  was  now  quite  satisfied ;  and  he  told  of  the 
boat  and  his  grandfather.  The  boat  was  scarcely  far- 
ther off  than  the  cave;  and  poor  Rolf  was  almost  in 
extremity  for  drink.  The  water  and  brandy  he  brought 
with  him  had  been  finished,  nearly  two  days,  and  he 
was  suffering  extremely  from  thirst.  He  thought  he 
could  reach  the  boat,  and  Oddo  led  the  way,  bidding 
him  not  mind  his  being  without  clothes  till  they  could 
find  him  some. 

Glad  was  the  old  man  to  hear  his  boy's  call  from  the 


152  FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD. 

water;  and  his  face  lighted  up  with  wonder  and  pleas- 
ure when  he  heard  that  Rolf  was  not  far  behind.  He 
lent  a  hand  to  helj)  hini  into  the  boat,  and  asked  no 
questions  till  he  had  <;iven  him  food  and  drink.  He 
reproached  himself  for  having  brought  neither  camphor 
nor  assafoetida,  to  administer  with  the  corn-brandy. 
Here  was  the  brandy,  however ;  and  some  water,  and  fish 
and  bread,  and  cloud-berries.  Great  was  the  amaze- 
ment of  Peder  and  Oddo  at  Rolf's  pushing  aside  the 
brandy,  and  seizing  the  water.  When  he  had  drained 
the  last  drop,  he  even  preferred  the  cloud-berries  to  the 
brandy.  A  transient  doubt  thence  occurred  whether 
this  was  Rolf  after  all.  Rolf  saw  it  in  their  faces,  and 
laughed  ;  and  when  they  had  heard  his  story  of  what  he 
had  suffered  from  thirst,  they  were  quite  satisfied,  and 
wondered  no  longer. 

He  was  all  impatience  to  be  gone.  It  tried 
him  more  now  to  think  how  long  it  would  be  before 
Erica  could  hear  of  his  preservation  than  to  bear  all 
that  had  gone  before.  Being  without  clothes,  how- 
ever, it  was  necessary  to  visit  the  cave,  and  bring 
away  what  was  there.  In  truth,  Oddo  was  not  sorry 
for  this.  His  curiosity  about  the  cave  was  so 
great,  that  he  felt  it  impossible  to  go  home  without 
seeing  it;  and  the  advantage  of  holding  the  secret 
knowledge  of  such  a  place  was  one  which  he  would 
not  give  up.  He  seized  an  oar,  gave  another  to 
Rolf;  and  they  were  presently  off  the  mouth  of  the 
cave.  Peder  sighed  at  their  having  to  leave  him  again  : 
but  he  believed  what  Rolf  said  of  there  being  no  dan- 
ger, and  of  their  remaining  close  at  hand.  One  or  the 
other  came  popping  up  beside  the  boat,  every  minute, 
with  clothes,  or  net,  or  lines,  or  brandy-flask,  and  finally 
with  the  oars  of  the  poor  broken  skiff;  being  obliged 
to  leave  the  skiff  itself  behind.  Rolf  did  not  forget  to 
bring  away  whole  handfuls  of  beautiful  shells,  which  he 
had  amused  himself  with  collecting  for  Erica. 

At  last,  they  entered  the  boat  again  ;    and  while  they 


P'EATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  I  53 

were  dressing,  Oddo  charmed  his  grandfather  with  a 
description  of  the  cave,  —  of  the  dark,  sounding  walls, 
the  lofty  roof,  and  the  green  tide  breaking  on  the  white 
sands.  It  almost  made  the  listener  cool  to  hear  of 
these  things;  but,  as  Oddo  had  remarked,  the  heat  had 
abated.  It  was  near  midnight,  and  the  sun  was  going 
to  set.  Their  row  to  the  shore  would  be  in  the  cool 
twilight:  and  then  they  should  take  in  companions, 
who,  fresh  from  rest,  would  save  them  the  trouble  of 
rowing  home. 

When  all  were  too  tired  to  talk,  and  the  oars  were 
dipping  somewhat  lazily,  and  the  breeze  had  died 
away,  and  the  sea-birds  were  quiet,  old  Peder,  who 
appeared  to  his  companions  to  be  asleep,  raised  his 
head,  and  said,  "  I  heard  a  sob.  Are  you  crying, 
Oddo?" 

"Yes,  grandfather." 

"  What  is  your  grief,  my  boy?  " 

"  No  grief —  anything  but  grief  now.  I  have  felt 
more  grief  than  you  know  of  though,  or  anybody.  I 
did  not  know  it  fully  myself  till  now." 

"  Right,  my  boy :    and  right  to  say  it  out,  too." 

"  I  don't  care  now  who  knows  how  miserable  I  have 
been.  I  did  not  believe,  all  the  time,  that  Nipen  had 
anything  to  do  with  these  misfortunes — " 

"  Right,  Oddo,"  exclaimed  Rolf,  now. 

"  But  I  was  not  quite  certain ;  and  how  could  I  say 
a  word  against  it  when  I  was  the  one  to  provoke  Nipen? 
Now  Rolf  is  safe,  and  Erica  will  be  happy  again,  and  I 
shall  not  feel  as  if  everybody's  eyes  were  upon  me,  and 
know  that  it  is  only  out  of  kindness  that  they  do  not 
reproach  me  as  having  done  all  the  mischief.  I  shall 
hold  up  my  head  again  now,  as  some  may  think  I  have 
done  all  along:  but  I  did  not  in  my  own  eyes,  —  no, 
not  in  my  own  eyes,  for  all  these  weary  days  that  are 
gone." 

"Well,  they  are  gone  now,"  said  Rolf.  "Let  them 
go  by  and  be  forgotten." 


154  FEATS   OX   THE   FIORD. 

"Nay,  —  not  forgotten,"  said  Peder.  "  How  is  my 
boy  to  learn  if  he  forgets  —  " 

"  Don't  fear  that  for  me,  grandfather,"  said  Oddo,  as 
the  tears  still  streamed  down  his  face.  "  No  fear  of 
that.  I  shall  not  forget  these  last  days,  —  no,  not  as 
lon^i  as  I  live." 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD.  I  55 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

PLOT   AND    COUNTERPLOT. 

The  comrades  who  were  waiting  and  watching  on 
the  point  were  dul}-  amazed  to  see  three  heads  in  the 
boat  on  her  return;  and  dul}' delighted  to  find  that  the 
third  was  Rolf,  —  alive,  and  no  ghost.  They  asked 
question  upon  question,  and  Rolf  answered  some  fully 
and  truly,  while  he  showed  reserve  upon  others ;  and 
at  last,  when  closely  pressed,  he  declared  himself  too 
much  exhausted  to  talk,  and  begged  permission  to  lie 
down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  and  sleep.  Upon  this, 
a  long  silence  ensued.  It  lasted  till  the  farmhouse  was 
in  sight  at  which  one  of  the  rowers  was  to  be  landed 
Oddo  then  exclaimed, — 

"  I  wonder  what  we  have  all  been  thinking  about.  We 
have  not  settled  a  single  thing  about  what  is  to  be  said 
and  done ;  and  here  we  are  almost  in  sight  of  home, 
and  Hund's  cunning  eyes." 

"  I  have  settled  all  about  it,"  replied  Rolf,  raising 
himself  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  where  they  all 
thought  he  had  been  sleeping  sound!}'.  "  My  mind," 
said  he,  "  is  quite  clear.  The  first  thing  I  have  decided 
upon  is  that  I  may  reh'  on  the  honor  of  our  friends 
here.  You  have  proved  your  kindness,  friends,  in 
coming  on  this  expedition,  but  for  which  I  should  have 
died  in  my  hole,  like  a  superannuated  bear  in  its  den. 
This  is  a  story  that  the  whole  country  will  hear  of; 
and  our  grandchildren  will  tell  it,  on  winter  nights, 
when  there  is  talk  of  the  war  that  brought  the  pirates 
on  our  coasts.  Your  names  will  go  abroad  with  the 
story,  comrades,  and,  on  one  condition,  with  high 
honor :  and  that  condition  is,  that  }'ou  say  not  a  word 
beyond  the  family  }'ou  live  in,  for  the  next  few  days,  of 


156  l-KAl'S    OX    TIIK    FIORD. 

the  adventure  of  this  night,  or  of  your  having  seen  me. 
More  depends  on  this  than  you  know  of  now ;  more 
than  I  will  tell,  this  day,  to  any  person  but  my  master. 
M)'  good  old  friend  there  will  help  me  to  a  meeting 
with  my  master,  without  asking  a  question  as  to  what 
I  have  to  say  to  him.     Will  you  not,  Peder?" 

"  Surely.  I  have  no  doubt  you  are  right,"  replied 
Peder. 

The  neighbors  were  rather  sorry,  but  they  could  not 
object.  They  smiled  at  Oddo,  and  nodded  encourage- 
ment, when  he  implored  Rolf  to  fix  a  time  when  every- 
thing might  be  known,  and  to  answer  just  this  and  just 
that  little  inquiry. 

"  Oddo,"  said  his  grandfather,  "  be  a  man  among  us 
men.  Show  that  your  honor  is  more  to  you  than  your 
curiosity." 

"Thank  you,  grandfather,  I  will.  I  will  ask  only  one 
more  question  ;  and  that  Rolf  will  thank  me  for.  Had 
we  not  better  fix  some  place,  far  away  from  Hund's 
eyes  and  thoughts,  for  my  master  and  Rolf  to  have 
their  talk;   and  then  I  will  guide  my  master  —  " 

"  Guide  your  master,"  cried  Rolf,  laughing,  "  when 
your  master  knew  every  rock  and  every  track  in  the 
country  years  enough  before  you  were  born  !  " 

"  You  did  not  let  me  finish,"  said  Oddo.  "  You  may 
want  a  messenger,  —  he  or  you ;  and  I  know  every 
track  in  the  country:  and  there  is  no  one  swifter  of 
foot,  or  that  can  keep  counsel  better." 

"That  is  true,  Rolf,"  said  Peder.  "If  the  boy  is  too 
curious  to  know  everything,  it  is  not  for  the  sake  of 
telling  it  again.  If  you  should  happen  to  want  a  mes- 
senger, it  may  be  worth  attending  to  what  he  says." 

"  I  have  no  objection  to  add  that  to  my  plan,  if  Er- 
lingsen  pleases,"  said  Rolf.  "I  must  see  Erlingsen ; 
but  there  is  another  person  that  I  must  make  haste  to 
see,  —  that  I  would  fly  to  if  I  could.  What  I  wish  is, 
that  my  master  would  meet  me  on  the  road  to  where 
she  is;     supposing  Hund  to  remain  at  home." 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 57 

He  was  told  that  there  was  no  fear  of  Hund's  rov- 
ing while  the  bishop  was  daily  expected.  Rolf  having 
been  out  of  the  way,  the  whole  story  of  the  journey  of 
the  bishop  of  Tronyem  had  to  be  told  him.  It  made 
him  thoughtful;  and  he  dropped  a  word  or  two  of  sat- 
isfaction, as  if  it  had  thrown  new  light  upon  what  he 
was  thinking  of. 

"  All  this,"  said  he,  "  only  makes  me  wish  the 
more  to  see  Erlingsen  immediately.  I  should  say  the 
best  way  will  be  for  you  to  set  me  ashore  somewhere 
short  of  home,  and  ask  Erlingsen  to  meet  me  at  the 
Black  Tarn.  There  cannot  be  a  quieter  place :  and  I 
shall  be  so  far  on  my  way  to  the  seater." 

"  If  you  will  just  make  a  looking-glass  of  the  Black 
Tarn,"  said  Oddo,  "  you  will  see  that  you  have  no 
business  to  carry  such  a  face  as  yours  to  the  seater. 
Erica  will  die  of  terror  at  you  for  the  mountain  demon, 
before  you  can  persuade  her  it  is  only  you." 

"  I  was  thinking,"  observed  one  of  the  rowers,  who 
relished  the  idea  of  going  down  to  posterity  in  a  won- 
derful story, —  "I  was  just  thinking  that  your  wisest 
way  will  be  to  take  a  rest  in  my  bed  at  Holberg's, 
without  anybody  knowing,  and  shave  yourself  with  my 
razor,  and  dress  in  my  Sunday  clothes,  and  so  show 
yourself  to  your  betrothed  in  such  a  trim  as  that  she 
will  be  glad  to  see  you." 

"Do  so,  Rolf,"  urged  Peder.  Everybody  said,  "  Do 
so,"  and  agreed  that  Erica  would  suffer  far  less  by  re- 
maining five  or  six  hours  longer  in  her  present  state  of 
mind,  than  by  seeing  her  lover  look  like  a  ghastly  sav- 
age, or  perhaps  hearing  that  he  was  lying  by  the  road- 
side dying  of  his  exertions  to  reach  her.  Rolf  tried  to 
laugh  at  all  this :  but  he  could  not  contradict  it.  He 
would  not  hear  a  word  of  any  messenger  being  sent. 
He  declared  that  it  would  only  torment  her,  as  she 
would  not  believe  in  his  return  till  she  saw  him :  and 
he  dropped  something  about  everybody  being  so 
wanted  at  home  that  nobody  ought  to  stray. 


158  FEATS    0\   THE    FIORD. 

All  took  place  as  it  was  settled  in  the  boat.  Before 
the  people  on  Holberg's  farm  had  come  into  breakfast, 
Rolf  was  snug  in  bed,  with  a  large  pitcher  of  whey  by 
the  bedside,  to  quench  his  still  insatiable  thirst.  No 
one  but  the  Holbergs  knew  of  his  being  there ;  and  he 
got  away  unseen  in  the  afternoon,  rested,  shaven,  and 
dressed,  so  as  to  look  more  like  himself,  though  still 
haggard.  Packing  his  old  clothes  into  a  bundle,  which 
he  carried  with  a  stick  over  his  shoulder,  and  laden 
with  nothing  else  but  a  few  rye-cakes,  and  a  flask  of 
the  everlasting  corn-brandy,  he  set  forth,  thanking  his 
hosts  very  heartily  for  their  care,  and  somewhat  mys- 
teriously assuring  them  that  they  would  hear  something 
soon,  and  that  meantime  they  had  better  not  have  to  be 
sought  far  from  home. 

As  he  expected,  he  met  no  one  whom  he  knew. 
Nine  tenths  of  the  neighbors  were  far  away  on  the 
seaters,  and  of  the  small  remainder,  almost  all  were  at- 
tending the  bishop  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  lake. 
Rolf  shook  his  head  at  every  deserted  farmhouse  that 
he  passed,  thinking  how  the  pirates  might  ransack  the 
dwellings,  if  they  should  happen  to  discover  that  few 
inhabitants  remained  in  them  but  those  whose  limbs 
were  too  old  to  climb  the  mountain.  He  shook  his 
head  again  when  he  thought  what  consternation  he 
might  spread  through  these  dwellings  by  dropping  at 
the  doors  the  news  of  how  near  the  pirate  schooner  lay. 
It  seemed  to  be  out  of  the  people's  minds  now  because 
it  was  out  of  sight,  and  the  bishop  had  become  visible 
instead.  As  for  the  security  which  some  talked  of 
from  there  being  so  little  worth  taking  in  the  Nordland 
farmhouses,  this  might  be  true  if  only  one  house 
was  to  be  attacked,  and  that  one  defended :  but  half  a 
dozen  ruffians,  coming  ashore,  to  search  eight  or  ten 
undefended  houses  in  a  day,  might  gather  enough 
booty  to  pay  them  for  their  trouble.  Of  money  they 
w^ould  find  little  or  none ;  but  in  some  families  there 
were    gold    chains,  crosses,  and    ear-rings,  which    had 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 59 

come  down  from  a  remote  generation,  or  silver  goblets 
and  tankards.  There  were  goats  worth  carrying  away 
for  their  milk,  and  spirited  horses  and  their  harness,  to 
sell  at  a  distance.  There  were  stores  of  the  finest  bed 
and  table  linen  in  the  world  ;  sacks  of  flour,  cellars  full 
of  ale,  kegs  of  brandy,  and  a  mass  of  tobacco  in  every 
house.  Fervently  did  Rolf  wish,  as  he  passed  by  these 
comfortable  dwellings,  that  the  enemy  would  cast  no 
eye  or  thought  upon  their  comforts  till  he  should  have 
given  such  information  in  the  proper  quarters  as  should 
deprive  them  of  the  power  of  doing  mischief  in  this 
neighborhood. 

Leaving  the  last  of  the  farmhouses  behind,  he  as- 
cended the  ravine,  and  came  out  upon  the  expanse  of 
rich  herbage  which  Erica  had  trodden  but  a  few  days 
before.  He  thought,  as  she  had  done,  of  his  own 
description  of 
their  journe}'-  v-^^^^ 
ing  together  to 
the  seater,  and 
of  the  delight 
with  which  she 
would  leap 
from  the  cart 
to  walk  with 
him  on  the  first 
sight  of  the 
waving   grass 

upon  the  upland.  His  heart  beat  joyously  at  the 
thought,  instead  of  mourning  like  hers.  He  was  trans- 
ported with  happiness  when  he  thought  how  near  he 
was  to  her  now,  and  on  the  eve  of  a  season  of  delight, 
—  a  few  balmy  summer  weeks  upon  the  pastures,  to  be 
followed  by  his  marriage.  This  affair  of  the  pirates  once 
finished,  was  ever  man  so  happy  as  he  was  going  to  be? 
The  thought  made  him  spring  as  lightly  through  the 
tall  grass  that  lay  between  him  and  the  Black  Tarn  as 
the  reindeer  from  point  to  point  of  the  mountain  steep. 


l6o  FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD. 

The  breeze  blew  in  his  face,  refreshing  it  with  its 
coohiess,  and  with  the  fragrance  of  the  birch,  with 
which  it  was  loaded.  Bat  it  brought  something  else, 
—  a  transient  sound  which  surprised  Rolf,  —  voices  of 
men,  who  seemed,  if  he  could  judge  from  so  rapid  a 
hint,  to  be  talking  angrily.  He  began  to  consider 
whom,  besides  Oddo,  Erlingsen  could  have  thought  it 
safe  or  necessary  to  bring  with  him,  or  whether  it  was 
somebody  met  with  by  chance.  At  all  events,  it  would 
be  wisest  not  to  show  himself,  and  to  approach  with  all 
possible  caution.  Cautiously,  therefore,  he  drew  near, 
keeping  a  vigilant  watch  all  around,  and  ready  to  pop 
down  into  the  grass  on  any  alarm.  Being  unable  to 
see  any  one  near  the  tarn,  he  was  convinced  the  talkers 
must  be  seated  under  the  crags  on  its  margin,  and  he 
therefore  made  a  circuit,  to  get  behind  the  rocks,  and 
then  climbed  a  huge  fragment,  which  seemed  to  have 
been  toppled  down  from  some  steep,  and  to  have  rolled 
to  the  brink  of  the  water.  Two  stunted  pines  grew  out 
from  the  summit  of  this  crag,  and  between  these  pines 
Rolf  placed  himself  and  looked  down  from  thence. 

Two  men  sat  on  the  ground  in  the  shadow  of  the 
rock :  one  was  Hund,  and  the  other  must  undoubtedly 
be  one  of  the  pirate  crew.  His  dress,  arms,  and  broken 
language  all  showed  him  to  be  so  ;  and  it  was,  in  fact,  the 
same  man  that  Erica  had  met  near  the  same  place ; 
though  that  she  had  had  such  an  adventure  was  the 
last  thing  her  lover  dreamed  of  as  he  surveyed  the 
man's  figure  from  above.  This  man  appeared  surly. 
Hund  was  extremely  agitated. 

"  It  it  very  hard,"  said  he,  "  when  all  I  want  is  to  do 
no  harm  to  anybody, — neither  to  my  old  friends  nor 
my  new  acquaintances,  —  that  I  cannot  be  let  alone.  I 
have  done  too  much  mischief  in  m\-  life  already.  The 
demons  have  made  sport  of  me ;  —  it  is  their  sport  that 
I  have  as  many  lives  to  answer  for  as  any  man  of  twice 
my  age  in  Nordland ;  and  now  that  I  would  be  harm- 
less for  the  rest  of  my  days  —  " 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  l6l 

"  Don't  trouble  yourself  to  talk  about  your  days,"  in- 
terrupted the  pirate  ;  "  they  will  be  too  few  to  be  worth 
speaking  of,  if  you  do  not  put  yourself  under  our  orders 
again.  You  are  a  deserter;  and  as  a  deserter  you  go 
back  with  me,  unless  you  choose  to  go  as  a  comrade." 

"  And  what  might  I  expect  that  your  orders  would 
be,  if  I  went  with  you  ?  " 

"  You  know  very  well  that  we  want  you  for  a  guide. 
That  is  all  you  are  worth.  In  a  fight,  you  would  only 
be  in  the  way,  unless,  indeed,  you  could  contrive  to 
get  out  of  the  way." 

"  Then  you  would  not  expect  me  to  fight  against  my 
master  and  his  people?  " 

"  Nobody  was  ever  so  foolish  as  to  expect  you  to 
fight,  more  or  less,  I  should  think.  No  ;  your  business 
would  be  to  pilot  us  to  Erlingsen's,  and  answer  truly 
all  our  questions  about  their  ways  and  doings." 

"  Surprise  them  in  their  sleep !  "  muttered  Hund. 
"  Wake  them  up  with  the  light  of  their  own  burning 
roofs  !  And  they  would  know  me  by  that  light !  They 
would  point  me  out  to  the  bishop ;  they  would  find 
time  in  their  hurry  to  mark  me  for  the  monster  they 
might  well  think  me." 

"Yes;  you  would  be  in  the  front,  of  course,"  ob- 
served the  pirate.  "  But  there  is  one  comfort  for  you, 
—  if  you  are  so  earnest  to  see  the  bishop  as  you  told 
me  you  were,  my  plan  is  the  best.  When  once  we 
lock  him  down  on  board  our  schooner,  you  can  have 
him  all  to  yourself.  You  can  confess  your  sins  to  him 
the  whole  day  long ;  for  nobody  else  will  want  a  word 
with  either  of  you.  You  can  show  him  your  enchanted 
island  down  in  the  fiord,  and  see  if  he  can  lay  the 
ghost  for  you." 

Hund  sprang  to  his  feet  in  an  agony  of  passion. 
The  well-armed  pirate  was  up  as  soon  as  he.  Rolf 
drew  back  two  paces  to  be  out  of  sight,  if  by  chance 
they  should  look  up,  and  armed  himself  with  a  heavy 
stone.      He  heard  the  pirate  say,  — 


l62 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 


^Jrt^l§^5<.^ 


"You  can  try  to  run  away,  if  you  like.  I  shall  shoot 
you  through  the  head  before  you  have  gone  five  yards. 
And  you  may  refuse  to  return  with  me ;    and  then   I 

shall  know  how 


to  report  of  }-ou 
to  my  captain. 
I  shall  tell  him 
that  you  are 
1  >' i  n  g  at  the 
bottom  of  this 
lake  —  if  it  has 
a  bottom  — with 
a  stone  tied 
round  your 
neck,  like  a 
drowned  w  i  1  d  - 
cat.  I  hope  you 
may  chance  to 
find  your  enemy 
there,  to  make 
the  place  the 
plcasantcr." 

Rolf  could 
not  resist  the 
impulse  to  send 
his  heavy  stone 
into  the  middle 
of  the  tarn,  to 
see  the  effect 
upon  the  men  below.  He  gave  a  good  cast  on  the  very 
instant,  and  prodigious  was  the  splash  as  the  stone  hit 
the  water  precisely  in  the  middle  of  the  little  lake. 
The  men  did  not  see  the  cause  of  the  commotion  that 
followed ;  but,  starting  and  turning  at  the  splash,  they 
saw  the  rings  spreading  in  the  dark  waters  which  had 
lain  as  still  as  the  heavens  but  a  moment  before.  How 
could  two  guilty,  superstitious  men  doubt  that  the 
waters  were  thrown  into  agitation  by  the  pirate's  last 


^:^-^~ 


i^ilF-- 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD.  1 63 

words?  Yet  they  glanced  fearfully  round  the  whole 
landscape,  far  and  near.  They  saw  no  living  thing  but 
a  hawk,  which,  startled  from  its  perch  on  a  scathed 
pine,  was  wheeling  round  in  the  air  in  an  unsteady 
flight.  The  pirate  pointed  to  the  bird  with  one  hand, 
while  he  laid  the  other  on  the  pistol  in  his  belt. 

"Yes,"  said  Hund,  trembling;  "the  bird  saw  it. 
Did  you  see  it?  " 

"  See  what?" 

"  The  water-sprite,  Uldra.  Before  you  throw  me  in 
to  the  water-sprite,  we  will  see  which  is  the  strongest." 
And  in  desperation,  Hund,  unarmed  as  he  was,  threw 
himself  upon  the  pirate,  sprang  at  his  throat,  and  both 
wrestled  with  all  their  force.  Rolf  could  not  but  look ; 
and  he  saw  that  the  pirate  had  drawn  forth  his  pistol, 
and  that  all  would  be  over  with  Hund  in  a  moment  if 
he  did  not  interfere.  He  stood  forward  between  the 
two  pine  stems  on  the  ridge  of  the  rock,  and  uttered 
very  loud  the  mournful  cry  which  had  so  terrified  his 
enemies  at  Vogel  Islet.  The  combatants  flew  asunder 
as  if  parted  by  a  flash  of  lightning.  Both  looked  up  to 
the  point  whence  the  sound  had  come,  and  there  they 
saw  what  they  supposed  to  be  Rolf's  spectre  pointing 
at  them,  and  the  eyes  staring  as  when  looking  up  from 
the  waters  of  the  fiord.  How  could  these  guilty  and 
superstitious  men  doubt  that  it  was  Rolf's  spectre 
which,  rising  through  the  centre  of  the  tarn,  had 
caused  the  late  commotion  in  its  waters?  Away  they 
fled,  at  first  in  dilTerent  directions ;  but  it  amused  Rolf 
to  observe  that,  rather  than  be  alone,  Hund  turned  to 
follow  the  track  of  the  tyrant  who  had  just  been  threat- 
ening and  insulting  him,  and  driving  him  to  struggle 
for  his  life. 

"  Ay,"  thought  Rolf,  "  it  is  his  conscience  that 
makes  me  so  much  more  terrible  to  him  than  that 
ruffian.  I  never  hurt  a  hair  of  his  head;  and  yet, 
through  his  conscience,  my  face  is  worse  than  the  blast- 
ing lightning  to  his  eyes.      When  will    all    the  people 


1 64  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

hereabouts  find  out,  as  my  mistress  said  when  I  was  a 
boy,  —  when  will  people  find  out  that  the  demons  and 
sprites  they  live  in  fear  of  all  come  out  of  their  own 
heads  and  hearts?  Here,  in  Hund's  case,  is  guilt  shap- 
ing out  visions  whichever  way  he  turns.  Not  one  of 
his  ghost  stories  is  there  for  months  past,  but  I  am  at 
the  bottom  of;  and  that  only  through  his  conscious- 
ness of  hating  and  wanting  to  injure  me.  Then,  in  the 
opposite  case — of  one  as  innocent  as  the  whitest  flower 
in  all  this  pasture — in  my  Erica's  case,  the  ghosts  she 
sees  are  all  from  passions  that  leave  her  heart  pure, 
but  bewilder  her  eyes.  It  is  the  fear  that  she  was 
early  made  subject  to,  and  the  grief  she  feels  for  her 
mother,  that  create  demons  and  sprites  for  her.  The 
day  may  come,  if  I  can  make  her  happy  enough,  when 
I  may  convince  her  that,  for  all  she  now  thinks,  she 
never  yet  saw  a  token  of  any  evil  spirit  —  of  any  spirit 
but  the  Good  One  that  rules  all  things.  What  a  sigh 
she  will  give,  what  a  free  breathing  hers  will  be,  the 
day  when  I  can  show  her,  as  plainly  as  I  see  myself, 
that  it  is  nothing  but  her  own  fears  and  griefs  that  have 
crossed  her  path,  and  she  never  doubting  that  they 
were  demons  and  sprites !  Heigh-ho !  Where  is 
Erlingsen?  It  is  nothing  short  of  cruel  to  keep  me 
waiting  to-day,  of  all  days,  and  in  this  spot  of  all 
places,  almost  within  sight  of  the  seater  where  my  poor 
Erica  sits  pining,  and  seeing  nothing  of  the  pastures, 
but  only  with  her  mind's  eye,  the  sea-caves  where  she 
thinks  these  limbs  are  stretched,  cold  and  helpless,  as 
in  a  grave.  A  pretty  story  I  shall  have  to  tell  her,  if 
she  will  only  believe  it,  of  another  sort  of  sea-cave." 

To  pass  the  time,  he  took  out  the  shells  he  had 
collected  for  Erica,  and  admired  them  afresh,  and 
planned  where  she  would  place  them,  so  as  best  to 
adorn  their  sitting-room,  when  they  were  married. 
Erlingsen  arrived  before  he  had  been  thus  engaged  five 
minutes ;  and  indeed  before  he  had  been  more  than  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  altogether  at  the  place  of  meeting. 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 65 

"  My  dear  master !  "  exclaimed  Rolf,  on  seeing  him 
coming,  "  have  pity  on  Erica  and  me  ;  and  hear  what  I 
have  to  tell  you,  that  I  may  be  gone." 

"  You  shall  be  gone  at  once,  my  good  fellow !  I 
will  walk  with  you,  and  you  shall  tell  your  stor)'  as  we 

go-" 

Rolf  shook  his  head  and  objected  that  he  could  not, 
in  conscience,  take  Erlingsen  a  step  farther  from  home 
than  was  necessary,  as  he  was  only  too  much  wanted 
there. 

"  Is  that  Oddo  yonder?"  he  asked.  "He  said  you 
would  bring  him." 

"  Yes  :  he  has  grown  trustworthy  of  late.  We  have 
had  fewer  heads  and  hands  among  us  than  the  times 
require  since  Peder  grew  old  and  blind,  and  you  were 
missing,  and  Hund  had  to  be  watched  instead  of 
trusted.  So  we  have  been  obliged  to  make  a  man  of 
Oddo,  though  he  has  the  years  of  a  boy,  and  the 
curiosity  of  a  woman.  I  brought  him  now,  thinking 
that  a  messenger  might  be  wanted,  to  raise  the  country 
against  the  pirates ;  and  I  believe  Oddo,  in  his  present 
mood,  will  be  as  sure  as  we  know  he  can  be  swift." 

"  It  is  well  we  have  a  messenger.  Where  is  the 
bishop?" 

"Just  going  to  his  boat,  at  this  moment,  I  doubt 
not,"  replied  Erlingsen,  measuring  with  his  eye  the 
length  of  the  shadows.  "  The  bishop  is  to  sup  with 
us  this  evening." 

"  And  how  long  to  stay?" 

"  Over  to-morrow  night  at  the  least.  If  many  of 
the  neighbors  should  bring  their  business  to  him,  it 
may  be  longer.  My  little  Frolich  will  be  vexed  that 
he  should  come  while  she  is  absent.  Indeed,  I  should 
not  much  wonder  if  she  sets  out  homeward  when  she 
hears  the  news  you  will  carry,  so  that  we  shall  see  her 
at  breakfast." 

"  It  is  more  likely,"  observed  Rolf,  "  that  we  shall 
see  the  bishop  up  the  mountain  at    breakfast.      Ah ! 


l66  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD 

you  Stare ;  but  you  will  find  I  am  not  out  of  my  wits 
when  you  hear  what  has  come  to  my  knowledge  since 
we  parted,  and  especially  within  this  hour." 

Erlingsen  was  indeed  presently  convinced  that  it  was 
the  intention  of  the  pirates  to  carry  off  the  bishop  of 
Tronyem,  in  order  that  his  ransom  might  make  up  to 
them  for  the  poverty  of  the  coasts.  He  heard  besides 
such  an  ample  detail  of  the  plundering  practices  which 
Rolf  had  witnessed  from  his  retreat  as  convinced  him 
that  the  strangers,  though  in  great  force,  must  be  pre- 
vented by  a  vigorous  effort  from  doing  further  mischief. 
The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  place  the  bishop  in 
safety  on  the  mountain  ;  and  the  next  was  so  to  raise  the 
country  as  that  these  pirates  should  be  certainly  taken 
when  they  should  come  within  reach. 

Oddo  was  called,  and  intrusted  with  the  information 
which  had  to  be  conveyed  to  the  magistrate  at  Salt- 
dalen.  He  carried  his  master's  tobacco-pouch  as  a 
token,  —  this  pouch,  of  Lapland  make,  being  well  known 
to  the  magistrate  as  Erlingsen's.  Oddo  was  to  tell  him 
of  the  danger  of  the  bishop,  and  to  request  him  to  send 
to  the  spot  whatever  force  could  be  mustered  at  Salt- 
dalen ;  and  moreover  to  issue  the  budstick,*  to  raise 
the  country.  The  pirates  having  once  entered  the 
upper  reach  of  the  fiord,  might  thus  be  prevented  from 
ever  going  back  again,  and  from  annoying  any  more  the 
neighborhood  which  they  had  so  long  infested. 

Erlingsen  promised  to  be  wary  on  his  return  home- 
wards, so  as  not  to  fall   in  with  the  two  whom  Rolf  had 

*  When  it  is  desired  to  send  a  summons  or  other  message  over  a  dis- 
trict in  Norway  where  the  dwellings  are  scattered,  the  budstick  is  sent 
round  by  running  messengers.  It  is  a  stick,  made  hollow,  to  hold  the 
magistrate's  order,  and  a  screw  at  one  end  to  secure  the  paper  in  its  place. 
Each  messenger  runs  a  certain  distance,  and  then  delivers  it  to  another, 
who  must  carry  it  forward.  If  any  one  is  absent,  the  budstick  must  be  laid 
upon  the  "  house-father's  great  chair,  by  the  fireside";  and  if  the  house 
is  locked,  it  must  be  fastened  outside  the  door,  so  as  to  be  seen  as  soon  as 
the  host  returns.  Upon  great  occasions,  it  was  formerly  found  that  a  whole 
region  could  be  raised  in  a  very  short  time.  The  method  is  still  in  use  for 
appointments  on  public  liusiness. 


FEATS    OX   THE   FIORD.  1 67 

put  to  flight.  He  said,  however,  that  if  by  chance  he 
should  cross  their  path,  he  did  not  doubt  he  could  also 
make  them  run,  by  acting  the  ghost  or  demon,  though 
he  had  not  had  Rolf's  advantage  of  disappearing  in  the 
fiord  before  their  eyes.  They  were  already  terrified 
enough  to  fly  from  anything  that  called  itself  a 
ghost. 

The  three  then  went  on  their  several  w^ays,  —  Oddo 
speeding  over  the  ridges  like  a  sprite  on  a  night  errand, 
and  Rolf  striding  up  the  grassy  slopes  like  (what  he 
was)  a  lover  anxious  to  be  beside  his  betrothed,  after  a 
perilous  absence. 


1 68  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

MIDNIGHT. 

This  was  the  da}'  when  the  first  cheese  of  the  sea- 
son was  found  to  be  perfect  and  complete.  FroHch, 
Stiorna,  and  Erica  examined  it  carefully,  and  pro- 
nounced it  a  well-pressed,  excellent  Gammel  cheese, 
such  as  they  should  not  be  ashamed  to  set  before  the 
bishop,  and  therefore  one  which  ought  to  satisfy  the 
demon.  It  now  only  remained  to  carry  it  to  its  desti- 
nation,—  to  the  ridge  where  the  first  cheese  of  the 
season  was  always  laid  for  the  demon,  and  where,  it 
appeared,  he  regularh'  came  for  his  offering,  as  no 
vestige  of  the  gift  was  ever  to  be  found  the  next  morn- 
ing, —  only  the  round  place  in  the  grass  where  it  had 
lain,  and  the  marks  of  some  feet  which  had  trodden 
the  herbage. 

"  Help  me  up  with  it  upon  my  head,  Stiorna,"  said 
Erica.  "  If  Frolich  looks  at  it  any  longer,  she  will 
grudge  such  a  cheese  going  where  it  ought.  Is  not 
that  the  thought  that  is  in  your  mind  at  this  moment, 
Frolich,  dear?  " 

"No.  I  do  not  grudge  it,"  replied  Frolich.  "  My 
mother  says  it  is  right  freely  to  give  whatever  the  feel- 
ings of  those  who  help  us  require." 

"  And  you  do  thus  freely  give,  —  my  mistress  and 
all  who  belong  to  her,  without  a  sign  of  grudging," 
declared  Erica.  "  But,  would  you  not  be  better 
pleased  if  the  gift  required  was  a  bunch  of  moss- 
flowers,  or  a  basket  of  cloud-berries?  " 

"  Perhaps  so;  — }'et,  no;  I  think  not.  Our  good 
cheeses  are  not  wasted.  The)'  do  not  lie  and  rot  in 
the  sun  and  the  mists.  Somebody  has  the  benefit  of 
them,  whether  it  be  the  demon  or  not." 


FEATS    OX   THE   FIORD.  1 69 

"  Who  else  should  it  be?  "  asked  Stiorna.  "  There  is 
not  a  man,  woman,  or  child,  on  any  seater  in  Sulitelma, 
who  would  touch  a  cheese  laid  out  for  the  mountain 
demon." 

"  Perhaps  not.  I  never  watched,  to  see  what 
happens  when  the  Gammel  cheese  is  left  alone.  I  only 
say  I  do  not  grudge  our  cheese,  as  somebody  has  it. 
I  will  carry  it  myself,  in  token  of  good-will,  if  you  will 
let  me,  Erica.      Here,  —  shift  it  upon  my  head." 

Erica  would  not  hear  of  this,  and  began  to  walkaway 
with  her  load,  begging  Stiorna  to  watch  the  cattle,  — 
not  once  to  take  her  e}-e  off  them,  till  she  should  return 
to  assume  her  watch  for  the  night  hours. 

"  I  know  why  }-ou  will  not  let  me  carry  the  cheese," 
said  Frolich  smiling.  "You  are  thinking  of  Oddo  with 
the  cake  and  ale.  Xobody  but  you  must  deposit  offer- 
ings henceforward.  You  are  afraid  I  should  eat  up 
that  cheese,  almost  as  heavy  as  myself.  You  think 
there  would  not  be  a  paring  left  for  the  demon,  by  the 
time  I  got  to  the  ridge." 

"  Xot  so,"  replied  Erica.  "  I  think  that  he  to  whom 
this  cheese  is  destined  had  rather  be  served  by  one  who 
does  not  laugh  at  him.  And  it  is  a  safer  plan  for  you, 
Frolich." 

And  off  went  Erica  with  her  cheese. 

The  ridge  on  which  she  laid  it  would  have  tempted 
her  at  any  other  time  to  sit  down.  It  was  green  and 
soft  with  mosses,  and  offered  as  comfortable  a  couch 
to  one  tired  with  the  labors  of  the  day  as  any  to  be  found 
at  the  farm.  But,  to-night  it  was  to  be  haunted:  so 
Erica  merely  stayed  to  do  her  duty.  She  selected  the 
softest  tuft  of  moss  on  which  to  lay  the  cheese,  put  her 
offering  reverently  down,  and  then  diligently  gathered 
the  brightest  blossoms  from  the  herbage  around,  and 
strewed  them  over  the  cheese.  She  then  walked 
rapidly  homewards,  without  once  looking  behind  her. 
If  she  had  had  the  curiosity  and  courage  to  watch  for 
a  little  while,  she  would  have  seen  her  offerine  carried 


I/O  FEATS    OX    TIIK    FIORD. 

off  by  an  odd  little  figure,  with  nothing  very  terrible 
in  its  appearance;  nanieh',  a  woman  about  four  feet 
high,  with  a  flat  face,  and  eyes  wide  apart,  wearing  a 
reindeer  garment  like  a  wagoner's  frock,  a  red  com- 
forter about  her  neck,  a  red  cloth  cap  on  her  head,  a 
blue  worsted  sash,  and  leather  boots  up  to  the  knee: 
in  short  such  a  Lapland  girl  as  Erica  would  have 
given  a  rye-cake  to  as  charit}-,  but  would  not  have 
thought  of  asking  to  sit  down,  even  in  her  master's 
kitchen ;  —  for  the  Norwegian  servants  are  very 
high  and  saucy  towards  the  Lapps  who  wander  to 
their  doors.  It  is  not  surprising  that  the  Lapps  who 
pitch  their  tents  on  the  mountain  should  like  having  a 
fine  Gammel  cheese  for  the  trouble  of  picking  it  up : 
and  the  company  whose  tents  Erica  had  passed  on  her 
way  up  to  the  seater,  kept  a  good  lookout  upon  all  the 
dairy  people  round,  and  carried  off  every  cheese 
meant  for  the  demon.  While  Erica  was  gathering  and 
strewing  the  blossoms,  this  girl  was  hidden  near:  and, 
trusting  to  Erica's  not  looking  behind  her,  the  rogue 
swept  off  the  blossoms,  and  threw  them  at  her,  before 
she  had  gone  ten  yards,  trundled  the  cheese  down  the 
other  side  of  the  ridge,  made  a  circuit,  and  was  at  the 
tents  with  her  prize  before  supper-time  !  What  would 
Erica  have  thought  if  she  had  beheld  this  fruit  of  so 
many  milkings  and  skimmings,  so  much  boiling  and 
pressing,  devoured  by  greedy  Lapps  in  their  dirty  tent? 

On  her  way  homewards,  Erica  remembered  that  this 
was  Midsummer  Eve,  —  a  season  when  her  mother 
was  in  her  thoughts  more  than  at  any  other  time,  for 
Midsummer  Eve  is  sacred  in  Norway  to  the  wood- 
demon,  whose  victim  she  believed  her  mother  to  have 
been.  Every  woodman  sticks  his  axe  into  a  tree  that 
night,  that  the  demon  may,  if  he  pleases,  begin  the 
work  of  the  year  by  felling  trees,  or  making  a  fagot. 
Erica  hastened  to  the  seater,  to  discover  whether  Erl- 
ingsen  had  left  his  axe  behind,  and  whether  Jan  had  one 
with  him. 


FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD.  171 

Jan  had  an  axe,  and  remembering  his  duty,  though 
tired  and  sleepy,  was  just  going  to  the  nearest  pine 
grove  with  it  when  Erica  reached  home ;  she  seized 
Erhngsen's  axe  and  went  also,  and  stuck  it  in  a  tree, 
just  within  the  verge  of  the  grove,  which  was  in  that 
part  a  thicket,  from  the  growth  of  underwood.  This 
thicket  was  so  near  the  back  of  the  dairy  that  the  two 
were  home  in  five  minutes ;  yet  they  found  Frolich 
almost  as  impatient  as  if  they  had  been  gone  an  hour. 
She  asked  whether  their  heathen  worship  was  done  at 
last,  so  that  all  might  go  to  bed,  or  whether  they  were 
to  be  kept  awake  till  midnight  by  more  mummery. 

Erica  replied  by  showing  that  Jan  was  already  gone 
to  his  loft  over  the  shed,  and  begging  leave  to  comb 
and  curl  Frolich's  hair,  and  see  her  to  rest  at  once. 
Stiorna  was  asleep  ;  and  Erica  herself  meant  to  watch 
the  cattle  this  night.  They  lay  couched  in  the  grass, 
all  near  each  other,  and  within  view,  in  the  mild  slant- 
ing sunshine,  and  here  she  intended  to  sit,  on  the  bench 
outside  the  home-shed,  and  keep  her  eye  on  them  till 
morning. 

"You  are  thinking  of  the  Bishop  of  Tronyem's 
cattle,"  said  Frolich. 

"  I  am,  dear.  This  is  Midsummer  Eve,  you  know,  — 
when,  as  we  think,  all  the  spirits  love  to  be  abroad." 

"You  will  die  before  your  time.  Erica,"  said  the 
weary  girl.  "These  spirits  give  you  no  rest  of  body  or 
mind.  What  a  day's  work  we  have  done  !  And  now 
you  are  going  to  watch  till  twelve,  one,  two  o'clock  !  I 
could  not  keep  awake,"  she  said,  yawning,  "  if  there 
was  one  demon  at  the  head  of  the  bed,  and  another  at 
the  foot,  and  the  underground  people  running  like  mice 
all  over  the  floor." 

"Then  go  and  sleep,  dear;  I  will  fetch  your  comb, 
if  you  will  just  keep  an  eye  on  the  cattle  for  the  mo- 
ment I  am  gone." 

As  Erica  combed  Frolich's  long  fair  hair,  and  admired 
its  shine  in  the  sunlight,  and  twisted  it  up   behind,   and 


\-J2  FEATS    UN    THE    FIORD. 

curled  it  on  each  side,  the  weary  girl  leaned  her  head 
against  her,  and  dropped  asleep.  When  all  was  done, 
she  just  opened  her  e}xs  to  find  her  way  to  bed,  and 
say,  — 

"You  may  as  well  go  to  bed  comfortably,  for  you 
will  certainly  drop  asleep  here,  if  }'Ou  don't  there." 

"  Not  with  my  pretty  Spiel  in  sight.  I  would  not 
lose  my  white  heifer  for  seven  nights'  sleep.  You  will 
thank  me  when  you  find  your  cow,  and  all  the  rest,  safe 
in  the  morning.      Good  night,  dear." 

And  Erica  closed  the  door  after  her  young  mistress, 
and  sat  down  on  the  bench  outside,  with  her  face 
towards  the  sun,  her  lure  by  her  side,  and  her  knitting 
in  her  hands.  She  was  glad  that  the  herd  lay  so  that 
by  keeping  her  eye  on  them  she  could  watch  that  won- 
der of  Midsummer  night  within  the  Arctic  Circle,  the 
dipping  of  the  sun  below  the  horizon,  to  appear  again 
immediately.  She  had  never  been  far  enough  to  the 
north  to  see  the  sun  complete  its  circle  without  dis- 
appearing at  all,  but  she  did  not  wish  it;  she  thought 
the  softening  of  the  light  which  she  was  about  to  wit- 
ness, and  the  speedy  renewing  of  day,  more  wonderful 
and  beautiful.  She  sat  soothed  by  her  employment 
and  by  the  tranquillity  of  the  scene,  and  free  from  fear. 
She  had  done  her  duty  by  the  spirits  of  the  mountain 
and  the  wood  ;  and  in  case  of  the  appearance  of  any 
object  that  she  did  not  like,  she  could  slip  into  the 
house  in  an  instant.  Her  thoughts  were  therefore 
wholly  Rolf's.  She  could  endure  now  to  contemplate 
a  long  life  spent  in  doing  honor  to  his  memory  by  the 
industrious  discharge  of  duty.  She  would  watch  over 
Peder  and  receive  his  last  breath,  —  an  office  which 
should  have  been  Rolf's.  She  would  see  another  house- 
man arrive,  and  take  possession  of  that  house,  and 
become  betrothed  and  marry ;  and  no  one,  not  even  her 
watchful  mistress,  should  see  a  trace  of  repining  in  her 
countenance,  or  hear  a  tone  of  bitterness  from  her  lips. 
It  should  be  her  part  to   see  that  others  were  happier 


PTATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 


173 


than  she  had  been.  However  weary  her  heart  might 
be,  she  would  dance  at  every  wedding,  —  of  fellow- 
servant  or  of  young  mistress.  She  would  cloud  no- 
body's happiness,  but  would  do  all  she  could  to  make 
Rolf's  memory  pleasant  to  those  who  had  known  him, 
and  wished  him  well.  She  thought  she  could  do  all 
this  in  prospect  of  the  day  when  her  grave  should  be 
dug  beside  those  of  Peder  and  Ulla,  and  when  her 
spirit  should  meet  Rolf,  and  learn  at  length  how  he  had 
died,  and  be  assured  that  he  had  watched  over  her  as 
faithfully  as  she  had  remembered  him. 

As  these  thoughts  passed  through  her  mind,  making 
her  future  life  appear  shorter  and  less  dreary  than  she 
could  have  imagined  possible  a  few  hours  before,  her 
fingers  were  busily  at  work,  and  her  eyes  rested  on  the 
lovely  scene  before  her.  From  the  elevation  at  which 
she  was,  it  ap- 
peared as  if  the  . 
ocean  swelled 
up  into  the 
very  sk}',  so 
high  was  the 
horizon  line : 
and  between 
lay  a  vast  re- 
gion    of    rock 

and  river,  hill  and  dale,  forest,  fiord,  and  town,  part  in 
golden  sunlight,  part  in  deep  shadow,  but  all,  though 
bright  as  the  skies  could  make  it,  silent  as  became  the 
hour.  As  Erica  found  that  she  could  glance  at  the  sun 
itself  without  losing  sight  of  the  cattle,  which  still  lay 
within  her  indirect  vision,  she  carefully  watched  the 
descent  of  the  orb,  anxious  to  observe  precisely  when 
it  should  disappear,  and  how  soon  its  golden  spark 
would  kindle  up  again  from  the  waves.  When  its 
lower  rim  was  just  touching  the  waters,  its  circle 
seemed  to  be  of  an  enormous  size,  and  its  whole  mass 
to  be  flaming.      Its  appearance  was  very  unlike  that  of 


174  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

the  comparatively  small,  compact,  brilliant  luminary 
which  rides  the  sky  at  noon.  Erica  was  just  thinking 
so,  when  a  rustle  in  the  thicket,  within  the  pine 
grove,  made  her  involuntarily  turn  her  head  in  that 
direction.  Instantly  remembering  that  it  was  a  com- 
mon device  of  the  underground  people  for  one  of 
them  to  make  the  watcher  look  awa)',  in  order  that 
others  might  drive  off  the  cattle,  she  resumed  her  duty, 
and  gazed  steadfastly  at  the  herd.  They  were  safe  — 
neither  reduced  to  the  size  of  mice,  nor  wandering  off, 
though  she  had  let  her  eye  glance  away  from  them. 

The  sky,  however,  did  not  look  like  itself.  There 
were  two  suns  in  it.  Now,  Erica  really  did  quite  forget 
the  herd  for  some  time,  even  her  dear  white  heifer, 
while  she  stared  bewildered  at  the  spectacle  before  her 
eyes.  There  was  one  sun, —  the  sun  she  had  always 
known, —  half  sunk  in  the  sea,  while  above  it  hung 
another,  round  and  complete;  somewhat  less  bright 
perhaps,  but  as  distinct  and  plain  before  her  eyes  as 
any  object  in  heaven  or  earth  had  ever  been.  Her 
work  dropped  from  her  hands,  as  she  covered  her  eyes 
for  a  moment.  She  started  to  her  feet,  and  then  looked 
again.  It  was  still  there,  though  the  lower  sun  was 
almost  gone.  As  she  stood  gazing,  she  once  more 
heard  the  rustle  in  the  wood.  Though  it  crossed  her 
mind  that  the  wood-demon  was  doubtless  there  making 
choice  of  his  axe  and  his  tree,  she  could  not  move,  and 
had  not  even  a  wish  to  take  refuge  in  the  house,  so 
wonderful  was  this  spectacle, —  the  clearest  instance  of 
enchantment  she  had  ever  seen.  Was  it  meant  for 
good, —  a  token  that  the  coming  year  was  to  be  a 
doubly  bright  one?  If  not,  how  was  she  to  under- 
stand it? 

"  Erica  !  "  cried  a  voice  at  this  moment  from  the 
wood, —  a  voice  which  thrilled  her  whole  frame.  "  My 
Erica  !  " 

She  not  onh'  looked  towards  the  wood  now,  but 
sprang    forwards :     but  her    e}-es  were  so    dazzled  by 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1/5 

having  gazed  at  the  sun  that  she  could  see  nothing. 
Then  she  remembered  how  many  forms  the  cunning 
demon  could  assume,  and  she  turned  back,  thinking 
how  cruel  it  was  to  delude  her  with  her  lover's  voice, 
when,  instead  of  his  form,  she  should  doubtless  see 
some  horrid  monster :  most  likely  a  hippopotamus,  or, 
at  best,  an  overgrown  bear,  showing  its  long,  sharp,  white 
teeth,  to  terrify  her.  She  turned  in  haste,  and  laid  her 
hand  on  the  latch  of  the  door,  glancing  once  more  at 
the  horizon. 

There  was  now  no  sun  at  all.  The  burnish  was  gone 
from  every  part  of  the  landscape,  and  a  mild  twilight 
reigned. 

One  good  omen  had  vanished ;  but  there  was  still 
enchantment  around ;  for  again  she  heard  the  thrilling 
"  Erica." 

There  was  no  huge  beast  glaring  through  the  pine 
stems,  and  trampling  down  the  thicket;  but,  instead, 
there  was  the  figure  of  a  man  advancing  from  the 
shadow  into  the  pasture. 

"  Why  do  you  take  that  form?  "  said  the  trembling 
girl,  sinking  down  on  the  bench.  "  I  had  rather  have 
seen  you  as  a  bear.  Did  you  not  find  the  axe?  I  laid 
it  for  you.     Pray, —  pray,  come  no  nearer." 

"I  must,  my  love,  to  show  you  that  it  is  your  own 
Rolf.  Erica,  do  not  let  your  superstition  come  for- 
ever between  us." 

She  held  out  her  arms; — she  could  not  rise,  though 
she  strove  to  do  so.  Rolf  sat  beside  her, —  she  felt  his 
kisses  on  her  forehead, —  she  felt  his  heart  beat, —  she 
felt  that  not  even  a  spirit  could  assume  the  very  tones 
of  that  voice. 

"  Do  forgive  me,"  she  murmured;  "but  it  is  Mid- 
summer Eve  ;    and  I  felt  so  sure  —  " 

"  As  sure  of  my  being  the  demon  as  I  am  sure  there 
is  no  cruel  spirit  here,  though  it  is  Midsummer  Eve. 
Look,  love  !      See  how  the  day  smiles  upon  us  ! 

And   he  pointed   to  where  a   golden  star   seemed  to 


176 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 


kindle  on  the  edge  of  the  sea.  It  was  the  sun  again, 
rising  after  its  few  minutes  of  absence. 

"I  saw  two  just  now,"  cried  Erica,  —  "two  suns. 
Where  are  we,  reall\-?  And  liow  is  all  this?  And 
where  do  you  come  from?" 

And  she  gazed,  still  wistfully,  —  doubtfully  in  her 
lover's  face. 

"  I  will  show  you,"  said  he,  smiling. 


h  ^//o^^  ■ 


And  while  he 
still  held  her 
with  one  arm, 
lest,  in  some 
sudden  fancy, 
she  should 
fi y  him  as 
a  ghost,  he 
used  the  other 
hand  to  emp- 
ty his  pockets 
of  the  beau- 
tiful shells  he 
had  brought, 
tossing  them 
into  her  lap. 
"  Did  you 
ever  see  such, 
Erica?  I  have 
been  where 
they  lie  in 
heaps.  Did 
you  ever  see 
such     beau- 

._   ^_  ties?  " 

"I   never 

did,  Rolf;    you  have  been  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea." 
And  once  more  she  shrank  from  what  she  took  'for 

the  grasp  of  a  drowned  man. 

"  Not  to  the  bottom,  love,"  replied   he,  still  clasping 

her  hand.      "Our  fiord   is  deep;    perhaps   as   deep    as 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD.  1 77 

they  say.  I  dived  as  deep  as  a  man  may,  to  come  up 
•with  the  breath  in  his  body  ;  but  I  could  never  find  the 
bottom.  Did  I  not  tell  }-ou  that  I  should  go  down  as 
far  as  Vogel  Island  ;  and  that  I  should  there  be  safe?  " 

"Yes!      You  did  —  you  did  !  " 

"  Well !  I  went  to  Vogel  Island  •  and  here  I  am 
safe  !  " 

"  It  is  you  !  We  are  together  again  !  "  she  exclaimed 
now  in  full  belief.      "Thank  God  !      Thank  God  !  " 

As  she  wept  upon  his  shoulder,  he  told  her  where  he 
had  been,  what  perils  he  had  met,  how  he  had  been 
saved,  and  how  he  had  arrived  the  first  moment  he 
could  ;  and  then  he  went  on  to  declare  that  their  ene- 
mies would  soon  be  disposed  of,  that  they  would  be 
married,  that  they  would  take  possession  of  Peder's 
house,  and  make  him  comfortable,  and  would  never  be 
separated  again  as  long  as  they  lived. 

They  did  not  heed  the  time,  as  they  talked  and 
talked ;  and  Rolf  was  telling  how  he  had  more  than 
once  seen  a  double  sun,  without  finding  any  remarkable 
consequences  follow,  when  Stiorna  came  forth  with  her 
milk-pails,  just  before  four  o'clock.  She  started  and 
dropped  one  of  her  pails,  when  she  saw  who  was  sitting 
on  the  bench  ;  and  Erica  started  no  less  at  the  thought  of 
how  completely  she  had  forgotten  the  cattle  and  the  un- 
derground people  all  this  time.  The  herd  was  all  safe, 
however,  —  every  cow  as  large  as  life,  and  looking 
exactly  like  itself;  so  that  the  good  fortune  of  this  Mid- 
summer Eve  had  been  perfect. 


178  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

CHAPTER   XV. 

MOUNTAIN   FARE. 

The  appearance  of  Stiorna  reminded  the  lovers  that 
it  was  time  to  begin  the  business  of  the  morning.  They 
startled  Stiorna  with  the  news  that  a  large  company  was 
coming  to  breakfast.  Being  in  no  ver}'  amiable  temper 
towards  happy  lovers,  she  refused,  after  a  moment's 
thought,  to  believe  what  they  said,  and  sat  down  sulk- 
ing to  her  task  of  milking.  So  Rolf  proceeded  to 
rouse  Jan  ;  and  Erica  stepped  to  Frolich's  bedside,  and 
waked  her  with  a  kiss. 

"Erica!  No  —  can  it  be?"  said  the  active  girl,  up 
in  a  moment.      "  You  look  too  happy  to  be  Erica." 

"  Erica  never  was  so  happy  before,  dear;  that  is  the 
reason.  You  were  right,  Frolich  —  bless  your  kind 
heart  for  it!      Rolf  was  not  dead.     He  is  here." 

Frolich  gallopaded  round  the  room  like  one  crazy, 
before  proceeding  to  dress. 

"Whenever  you  like  to  stop,"  said  Erica,  laughing, 
"  I  have  some  good  news  for  you  too." 

"  I  am  to  go  and  see  the  bishop  !  "  cried  Frolich, 
clapping  her  hands,  and  whirling  round  on  one  foot, 
like  an  opera-dancer. 

"  Not  so,  Frolich." 

"  There,  now !  You  promise  me  good  news,  and 
then  you  won't  let  me  go  and  see  the  bishop,  when  you 
know  that  is  the  only  thing  in  the  world  I  want  or  wish 
for." 

"  Would  it  not  be  a  great  compliment  to  you,  and 
save  you  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  if  the  bishop  were  to 
come  here  to  sec  you  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  that  would  be  a  pretty  sight !  The  bishop 
of  Tronjxm  over  the  ankles  in  the  sodden,  trodden  pas- 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 79 

ture — sticking  in  the  mud  of  Sulitelma  !  The  bishop 
of  Tronyem  sleeping  upon  hay  in  the  loft,  and  eating 
his  dinner  off  a  wooden  platter !  That  would  be  the 
most  wonderful  sight  that  Nordland  ever  saw." 

"  Prepare,  then,  to  see  the  bishop  of  Tronyem  drink 
his  morning  coffee  out  of  a  wooden  bowl.  Meantime, 
I  must  go  and  grind  his  coffee.  Seriously,  Frolich, 
you  must  make  haste  to  dress  and  help.  The  pirates 
want  to  carry  off  the  bishop  for  ransom.  Erlingsen  is 
raising  the  country.  Hund  is  coming  here  as  a  pris- 
oner ;  and  the  bishop,  and  my  mistress,  and  Orga  to  be 
safe;  and  if  you  do  not  help  me,  I  shall  have  nothing 
ready,  for  Stiorna  does  not  like  the  news." 

Never  had  Frolich  dressed  more  quickly.  She 
thought  it  very  hard  that  the  bishop  should  see  her 
when  she  had  nothing  but  her  dairy  dress  to  wear ;  but 
she  was  ready  all  the  sooner  for  this.  Erica  consoled 
her  with  the  belief  that  the  bishop  was  the  last  person 
who  could  be  supposed  to  make  a  point  of  a  silk  gown 
for  a  mountain  maiden. 

A  consultation  about  the  arrangements  was  held 
before  the  door  by  the  four  who  were  all  in  a  good 
humor ;  for  Stiorna  remained  aloof.  This,  like  other 
mountain  dwellings,  was  a  mere  sleeping  and  eating 
shed,  only  calculated  for  a  bare  shelter  at  night,  at 
meals,  and  from  occasional  rain.  There  was  no  apart- 
ment at  the  seater  in  which  the  bishop  could  hold  an 
audience,  out  of  the  way  of  the  cooking  and  other 
household  transactions.  It  could  not  be  expected  of 
him  to  sit  on  the  bench  outside,  or  on  the  grass,  like 
the  people  of  the  establishment;  for,  unaccustomed 
as  he  was  to  spend  his  days  in  the  open  air,  his  eyes 
would  be  blinded  and  his  face  blistered  by  the  sun. 
The  young  people  cast  their  eyes  on  the  pine  wood  as 
the  fittest  summer  parlor  for  him,  if  it  could  be  pro- 
vided with  seats. 

Erica  sprang  forward  to  prevent  any  one  from  enter- 
ing the  wood  till  she  should  have  seen  what  state  the 


l80  FEATS    OX   Till-:    FloRD. 

place  was  in  on  this  particular  morning.  No  trees  had 
been  felled,  and  no  branches  cut  since  the  night  before, 
and  the  axes  remained  where  they  had  been  hung.  The 
demon  had  not  wanted  them,  it  seemed,  and  there  was 
no  fear  of  intruding  upon  him  now.  So  the  two  young 
men  set  to  work  to  raise  a  semicircular  range  of  turf 
seats  in  the  pleasantest  part  of  the  shady  grov^e.  The 
central  seat,  which  was  raised  above  the  rest,  and  had  a 
footstool,  was  well  cushioned  with  dry  and  soft  moss, 
and  the  rough  bark  was  cut  from  the  trunk  of  the  tree 
against  which  it  was  built ;  so  that  the  stem  served  as 
a  comfortable  back  to  the  chair.  Rolf  tried  the  seat 
when  finished ;  and  as  he  leaned  back,  feasting  his 
eyes  on  the  vast  sunny  landscape  which  was  to  be  seen 
between  the  trees  of  the  grove,  he  declared  that  it  was 
infinitely  better  to  sit  here  than  in  the  bishop's  stall  in 
Tronyem  cathedral. 

"  Surely,"  said  Erica,  whom  he  had  summoned  to 
see  the  work,  "when  God  plants  a  lofty  mountain  over- 
looking the  glorious  sea,  with  the  heavens  themselves 
for  a  roof,  He  makes  a  temple  with  which  no  church 
built  by  men  can  compare.  I  suppose  men  build 
cathedrals  in  cities  because  they  are  not  so  happy  as 
to  have  a  mountain  to  worship  on." 

"  How  I  pity  the  countries  that  have  no  glorious 
mountains  !  "  cried  Frolich  ;  "  especially  if  few  of  their 
people  live  in  sight  of  the  vast  sea,  or  in  the  heart  of 
deep   forests." 

And  by  one  impulse  they  all  struck  up  the  national 
air  "For  Norge," — a  thanksgiving  for  their  home 
being  planted  in  the  midst  of  the  northern  seas. 

All  being  done  now  for  which  a  strong  arm  was  wanted, 
Rolf  declared  that  he  and  Jan  must  be  gone  to  the  farm. 
Not  a  man  could  be  spared  from  the  shores  of  the  fiord, 
till  the  affairs  of  the  pirates  should  be  settled.  Erica 
ought  to  have  expected  to  hear  this :  but  her  cheek 
grew  white  as  it  was  told.  She  spoke  no  word  of  objec- 
tion, however,  seeing  plainl\-  what  her  lover's  dut)'  was. 


FEATS    ON    THE    FIORD.  l8l 

She  turned  towards  the  dairy  when  he  was  gone, 
instead  of  indulging  herself  with  watching  him  down 
the  mountain.  She  was  busy  skimming  bowl  after 
bowl  of  rich  milk,  when  Frolich  ran  in  to  say  that 
Stiorna  had  dressed  herself,  and  put  up  her  bundle,  and 
was  setting  forth  homewards,  to  see,  as  she  said,  the 
truth  of  things  there ;  which  meant,  of  course,  to  learn 
Hund's  condition  and  prospects.  It  was  now  necessary 
to  tell  her  that  she  would  presently  see  Hund  brought 
up  to  the  seater  a  prisoner :  and  that  the  farm  was  no 
place  for  any  but  fighting-men  this  day.  To  save  her 
feelings  and  temper,  Erica  asked  her  to  watch  the 
herd,  leading  them  to  a  point  whence  she  could 
soonest  see  the  expected  company  mounting  the 
uplands. 

Frolich  shook  her  head  often  and  mournfull}'  over 
the  breakfast.  The  skill  and  diligent  hands  of  two 
people  could  not,  up  in  the  clouds  here,  cover  the 
long  table  in  a  way  which  appeared  at  all  creditable  to 
Nordland  eyes.  Do  what  they  would,  it  was  only 
bread,  cheese,  butter,  berries,  and  cream :  and  then 
berries  and  cream,  butter,  cheese,  and  bread.  They 
garnished  with  moss,  leaves,  and  flowers ;  they  dis- 
posed their  few  bowls  and  platters  to  the  best  advan- 
tage,—  taking  some  from  the  dairy  which  could  ill  be 
spared.  It  was  still  but  a  poor  apology  for  a  feast ; 
and  Frolich  looked  so  ready  to  cry  as  to  make  Erica 
laugh. 

Presently,  however,  there  were  voices  heard  from  the 
hill  above.  Some  traveller  who  had  met  the  budstick 
had  reported  the  proceedings  below,  and  the  news  had 
spread  to  a  northern  seater.  The  men  had  gone  down 
to  the  fiord  and  here  were  the  women,  with  above  a 
gallon  of  strawberries,  fresh  gathered,  and  a  score  of 
plovers'  eggs.  —  Next  appeared  a  pony,  coming  west- 
ward over  the  pasture,  laden  with  panniers  containing 
a  tender  kid,  a  packet  of  spices,  a  jar  of  preserved 
cherries,  and  a  few  of  the  present  season,  earl}'  ripe ; 


l82 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIURD. 


^^U.si^iti. 


and  a  stone  bottle  of  ant-vinegar.*  Frolich's  spirits 
rose  higher  and  higher,  as  more  people  came  from 
below,  sent  by  Rolf  on  his  way  down.  A  deputation 
of  Lapps  came  from  the  tents,  bringing  reindeer  veni- 
son, and  half  of  a  fine  Gammel  cheese.  Before  Erica 
had  had  time  to  pour  out  a  glass  of  corn-brandy  for 
each  of  this  dwarfish  party,  in  token  of  thanks,  and 
because  it  is  considered  unlucky  to  send  away  Lapps 
without  a  treat,  other  mountain  dwellers  came  with 
offerings  of  tydder,  roer,  ryper,  and  jerper :  f  so  that 
the  dresser  was  loaded  with  game  enough  to  feed  half 
a  hundred  hungry  men. 

Some  of  these  willing  neighbors  stayed  to  help.  One 
went  to  pick   more    cloud-berries  on   the  edge   of  the 

nearest     bog. 

""V —        ""^v  i^     ^ Another    rode 

off,  on  the  po- 
ny, to  beg  a 
supply  of  su- 
gar from  a 
house  where  it 
was  known  to 
abound.  Two  or  three  more  cleared  a  space  for  a  fire 
behind  a  thicket,  and  prepared  to  broil  the  venison  and 
stew  the  kid,  while  others  sat  down  to  pluck  the  game. 
The  Lapps,  as  being  dirty  and  despised,  were  got  rid 
of  as  soon  as  possible. 

Erica  and  Frolich  returned  to  their  breakfast-table,  to 
make  the  new  arrangements  now  necessary,  and  place 
the  fruits  and  spices.  Erica  closely  examined  the  piece 
of  Gammel  cheese  brought  by  the  Lapps,  and  then, 
with  glowing  cheeks,  called  Frolich  to  her. 

*  Ants  abound  in  Norway,  both  in  the  forests  and  on  the  mountains. 
Some,  of  a  large  kind,  are  boiled  for  the  sake  of  the  (formic)  acid  they 
contain;  and  the  water  when  strained  is  used  for  vinegar.  It  is  as  good 
as  weak  vinegar. 

t  Tydder  and  roer  are  the  cock  and  hen  of  the  wild  bird  called  in  Scot- 
land the  capercailzie.  The  ryper  is  the  ptarmigan.  The  jerper  is  of  the 
grouse  species.  —  Lloyd's  "  Field  Spjrts  of  the  North  of  Europe." 


FEATS    ON    THE    FIORD.  1 83 

"What  now?"  said  Frolich.  "  Have  you  found  a 
way  of  telling  fortunes  with  the  hard  cheese,  as  some 
pretend  to  do  with  the  soft  curds?  " 

"Look  here,"  said  Erica.  "What  stamp  is  this? 
The  cheese  has  been  scraped.  —  almost  pared,  you  see  : 
but  they  have  left  one  little  corner.  And  whose  stamp 
is  there?  " 

"  Ours,"  said  Frolich,  coolly.  "  This  is  the  cheese 
you  laid  out  on  the  ridge  last  night." 

"  I  believe  it.      I  see  it,"  exclaimed  Erica. 

'•  Now,  dear  Erica,  do  not  let  us  have  the  old  story 
of  your  being  frightened  about  what  the  demon  will  say 
and  do.  Nobody  but  you  will  be  surprised  that  the 
Lapps  help  themselves  with  good  things  that  lie  strew- 
ing the  ground.  You  know  I  gave  you  a  hint,  just 
twelve  hours  since,  of  what  would  become  of  this  same 
cheese." 

"  You  did,"  admitted  Erica.  To  Frolich's  delight 
and  surprise,  she  appeared  too  busy  —  or  was  rather, 
perhaps,  too  happy  —  to  lament  this  mischance,  as  she 
would  formerly  have  done.  Possibly  she  comforted 
herself  with  thinking,  that  if  the  demon  had  set  its  heart 
upon  the  cheese,  it  might  have  been  beforehand  with 
the  Lapps.  She  contented  herself  with  setting  apart 
the  dish  till  her  mistress  should  decide  what  ought  to 
be  done  with  it.  Just  when  a  youth  from  the  highest 
pasture  on  Sulitelma  had  come,  running  and  panting, 
to  present  Frolich  with  a  handful  of  fringed  pinks  and 
blue  gentian,  plucked  from  the  very  edge  of  the  glacier, 
so  that  their  colors  were  reflected  in  the  ice,  Stiorna 
appeared,  in  haste,  to  tell  that  a  party,  on  horseback 
and  on  foot,  were  winding  out  of  the  ravine,  and  com- 
ing straight  up  over  the  pasture.  — All  was  now  cer- 
tainty ;  and  great  was  the  bustle,  to  put  out  of  sight 
all  unseemly  tokens  of  preparation.  In  the  midst  of 
the  hurry,  Frolich  found  time  to  twist  some  of  her 
pretty  flowers  into  her  pretty  hair ;  so  that  it  might 
easily  chance  that  the  bishop  would  not  miss  her  silk 


1 84  FEATS    OX   'I'HE    ITuKD. 

gown. — When,  ho\vc\cr,  were  unfashionable  mothers 
known  to  forget  the  interests  of  their  daughters? 
Madame  ErHngsen  never  did  !  and  she  now  engaged 
one  of  the  bishop's  followers  to  ride  forward  with  a 
certain  bundle  which  Orga  had  carried  on  her  lap. 
The  man  discharged  his  errand  so  readily  that,  on  the 
arrival  of  the  train,  Frolich  was  seen  so  dressed,  walking 
"  in  silk  attire,"  as  to  appear  to  all  e}'es  as  the  daughter 
of  the  hostess. 

The  bishop's  reputation  preceded  him,  as  is  usual  in 
such  cases. 

"  Where  is  he  now?  "  "  How  far  offis  he?  "  "  Wh\' 
does  he  not  come?"  asked  one  and  another  of  the  ex- 
pectant people,  of  those  who  first  appeared  before  the 
seater. 

"  He  is  at  the  tents,  speaking  to  the  Lapps." 

"  Speaking  to  the  Lapps  !  Impossible  !  What  Lapp 
would  ever  dream  of  being  spoken  to  b}-  a  bishop  of 
Tronyem?  " 

"  He  is  with  them,  howe\-er.  When  I  left  him,  he 
was  just  stooping  to  enter  one  of  their  tents." 

"  Now,  you  must  be  joking.  The  Lapps  are  low 
people  enough  in  the  open  pasture  :  but  in  their  tents, 
pah ! 

He  did  not  go  in  without  a  reason.  There  was  a  sick 
child  in  the  tent,  who  could  not  come  out  to  him.  The 
mother  wished  him  to  see  and  pronounce  upon  the 
charms  she  was  employing  for  her  child's  benefit,  and 
he  himself  chose  to  be  satisfied  whether  any  medical 
knowledge  which  he  possessed  could  avail  to  restore 
the  sick.  Nothing  was  more  certain  than  that  the 
bishop  of  Tronyem  was  in  a  Lapland  tent.  The  fact 
was  confirmed  by  M.  Kollsen,  who  next  appeared, 
musing  as  he  rode,  with  a  countenance  of  extreme 
gravit}'.  He  would  fain  have  denied  that  his  bishop 
was  smiling  upon  Lapps  who  wore  charms ;  but 
he  could  not.  He  muttered  that  it  was  \-er)'  extraor- 
dinary. 


FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD.  1 85 

"  Quite  as  much  so,"  whispered  Erica  toFroHch,  "  as 
that  the  HoHest  should  be  found  in  the  house  of  a  pub- 
hcan." 

"  What  is  that?"  inquired  the  \'igilant  M.  Kollsen. 
"  What  was  your  remark?  " 

Erica  blushed  deeply  ;  but  Frolich  readily  declared 
what  it  was  that  she  had  said  :  and  in  return  M.  Koll- 
sen remarked  on  the  evil  of  ignorant  persons  applying 
Scripture  according  to  their  own  narrow  notions. 

"Two  —  four  —  eight  horses,"  observed  a  herdsman. 

"  I  think  the  neighbors  should  each  take  one  or  two ; 
or  here  will  soon  be  an  end  of  Erlingsen's  new  hay. 
This  lot  of  pasture  will  never  feed  eight  horses,  besides 
his  own  and  the  herd." 

"  Better  than  having  them  carried  off  by  the  pirates," 
said  a  neighbor.  "  But  I  will  run  home  and  send  a 
load  of  grass." 

In  such  an  amiable  mood  did  the  bishop  find  all  who 
were  awaiting  him  at  his  place  of  refuge.  On  their 
part,  they  were  persuaded  that  he  deserved  all  their 
love,  even  if  he  had  some  low  notions  about  the  Lapps. 

As  the  bishop's  horse,  followed  by  those  which  bore 
the  ladies,  reached  the  house-door,  all  present  cried, — 

"  Welcome  to  the  mountain  !  "  "  Welcome  to  Suli- 
telma  !  " 

The  bishop  observed  that,  often  as  he  had  wished  to 
look  abroad  from  Sulitelma,  and  to  see  with  his  own 
eyes  what  life  at  the  seaters  was  like,  he  should  have 
grown  old  without  the  desire  being  gratified,  but  for 
the  design  of  the  enemy  upon  him.  It  was  all  he  could 
do  to  go  the  rounds  of  his  diocese,  from  station  to 
station  below,  without  thinking  of  journeys  of  pleasure. 
Yet  here  he  was  on  Sulitelma  ! 

W'hen  he  and  M.  Kollsen  and  the  ladies  had  dis- 
mounted, and  were  entering  the  house  to  breakfast,  the 
gazers  found  leisure  to  observe  the  hindmost  of  the 
train  of  riders.  It  was  Hund,  with  his  feet  tied  under 
his  horse,  and  the  bridle  held  by  a  man  on  each  side. 


1 86 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 


He  had  seen  and  heard  too  much  of  the  preparations 
against  the  enemy  to  be  allowed  to  remain  below,  or  at 
large  anywhere,  till  the  attack    should    be    over.     He 

could  not  dismount 
till  some  one  untied 
his  legs  ;  and  no  one 
would  do  that  till  a 
safe  place  could  be 
found,  in  which  to 
confine  him.  It  was 
an  awkward  situa- 
tion enough,  sitting 
there  bound  before 
everybody's  eyes; 
and  not  the  less  for 
Stiorna's  leaning  her 
head  against  the 
horse,  and  cr}'ing 
at  seeing  him  so 
treated:  and  yet 
Hund  had  often 
been  seen  on  small 
occasions,  to  look 
far  more  black  and 
miserable.  His  face 
now  was  almost  cheerful.  Stiorna  praised  this  as  a  sign 
of  bravery ;  but  the  truth  was,  the  party  had  been  met 
by  Rolf  and  Jan,  going  down  the  mountain.  It  was  no 
longer  possible  to  take  Rolf  for  a  ghost:  and,  though 
Hund  was  as  far  as  possible  from  understanding  the 
matter,  he  was  unspeakably  relieved  to  find  that  he  had 
not  the  death  of  his  rival  to  answer  for.  It  made  his 
countenance  almost  gay  to  think  of  this,  even  while 
stared  at  by  men,  women,  and  children,  as  a  prisoner. 

"  What  is  it?  "  whimpered  Stiorna,  —  "  what  are  you 
a  prisoner  for,  Hund?  " 

"  Ask  them  that  know,"  said  Hund.     "  I  thought  at 
first  that  it  was  on   Rolf's  account;    and  now  that  they 


FEATS    OX   THE   FIORD. 


187 


see  with  their  own  eyes  that  Rolf  is  safe,  they  best 
know  what  they  have  to  bring  against  me." 

"It  is  no  secret,"  said  Madame  Erhngsen.  "  Hund 
was  seen  with  the  pirates,  acting  with  and  assisting 
them,  when  they  committed  various  acts  of  thievery  on 
the  shores  of  the  fiord.  If  the  pirates  are  taken,  Hund 
will  be  tried  with  them  for  robberies  at  Thore's,  Kyril's, 
Tank's  and  other  places  along  the  shore,  about  which 
information  has  been  given  by  a  witness." 

"Thore's,  Kyril's,  Tank's!"  repeated  Hund  to  him- 
self; "  then  there  must  be  magic  in  the  case.  I  could 
have  sworn  that  not  an  eye  on  earth  witnessed  the  doings 
there.  If  Rolf  turns  out  to  be  the  witness,  I  shall  be 
certain  that  he  has  the  powers  of  the  region  to  help  him." 

So  little  is  robbery  to  be  dreaded  at  the  seaters,  that 
there  really  was  no  place  where  Hund  could  be  fastened 
in,  — no  lock  upon  any  door,  —  not  a  window  from 
which  he  might  not  escape.  The  zealous  neighbors 
therefore,  whose  interest  it  was  to  detain  him,  offered 
to  take  it  in 
turn  to  be  be- 
side him,  his 
right  arm 
tied  to  the 
left  of  a n - 
other  man. 
And  thus  it 
was  settled. 
After  break- 
fast, notice 
was     given 

that  the  party  who  had  travelled  all  night  wished  to 
repose  for  a  few  hours ;  all  others  therefore  withdrew, 
to  secure  quiet,  some  within  the  pine  wood,  others  to 
the  nearest  breezy  hill,  to  gossip  and  sport,  while  some 
few  took  the  opportunity  of  going  home,  to  see  after 
their  cattle,  or  other  domestic  affairs,  intending  to  return 
in  the  afternoon. 


>^^ 


1 88  FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

OLD   TALES   AND    BETTER   TIDINGS. 

When  the  bishop  came  forth  in  the  afternoon  to 
take  his  seat  in  the  shade  of  the  wood,  those  who  were 
there  assembled  were  singini^  "  For  Norge."  Instead 
of  permitting  them  to  stop,  on  account  of  his  arrival, 
he  joined  in  the  song,  and  solely  because  his  heart  was 
in  it.  Seldom  had  he  witnessed  such  a  scene  as  this ; 
and  as  he  looked  around  him,  and  saw  deep  shades  and 
sunny  uplands,  blue  glaciers  above,  green  pastures  and 
glittering  waters  below,  and  all  around  herds  on  every 
hillside,  he  felt  his  love  of  old  Norway,  and  his  thank- 
fulness for  being  one  of  her  sons,  as  warm  as  that  of 
any  one  of  the  singers  in  the  wood.  Out  of  the  fulness 
of  his  heart,  the  good  bishop  addressed  his  companions 
on  the  goodness  of  God  in  creating  such  a  land,  and 
placing  them  in  it,  with  their  happiness  so  far  in  their 
own  hands  as  that  little  worthy  of  being  called  evil 
could  befall  them,  except  through  faults  of  their  own. 
M.  Kollsen,  who  had  before  uttered  his  complaints  of 
the  superstition  of  his  flock,  hoped  that  his  bishop 
was  now  about  to  attack  the  mischief  vigorously. 

The  bishop,  however,  only  took  his  seat,  —  the 
mossy  seat  prepared  for  him, —  and  declared  himself 
to  be  now  at  the  service  of  any  who  wished  to  consult  or 
converse  with  him.  Instead  of  thrusting  his  own  opinions 
and  reproofs  upon  them,  as  it  was  M.  Kollsen's  wont  to 
do,  he  waited  for  the  people  to  open  their  minds  to  him  in 
their  own  way,  and  by  this  means,  whatever  he  found 
occasion  to  say  had  double  influence  from  coming 
naturally.  The  words  dropped  by  him  that  day  to  the 
anxious  mother  awaiting  the  confirmation  of  her  child, — 
to    the    young    person    preparing    for    that    important 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 89 

event,  —  to  the  bereaved, — to  the  penitent, — to  the 
thoughtless,  —  and  to  those  who  wondered  why  God 
had  given  them  so  many  rich  blessings  —  what  the 
good  bishop  said  to  all  these  was  so  fit  and  so  welcome 
that  not  a  word  was  forgotten  through  long  years  after, 
and  he  was  quoted  half  a  century  after  he  had  been  in 
his  grave,  as  old  UUa  had  quoted  the  good  bishop  of 
Tronyem  of  her  day. 

In  a  few  hours  many  of  the  people  were  gone  for  the 
present,  —  some  being  wanted  at  home,  and  others  for 
the  expected  affair  on  the  fiord.  The  bishop  and  M. 
Kollsen  had  thought  themselves  alone  in  their  shady 
retreat  when  they  saw  Erica  lingering  near  among  the 
trees.  With  a  kind  smile,  the  bishop  beckoned  to  her, 
and  bade  her  sit  down,  and  tell  him  whether  he  had 
not  been  right  in  promising,  a  while  ago,  that  God 
would  soothe  her  sorrows  with  time,  as  is  the  plan  of 
His  kind  providence.  He  remembered  well  the  story 
of  the  death  of  her  mother.  Erica  replied  that  not 
only  had  her  grief  been  soothed,  but  that  she  was  now 
so  blessed  that  her  heart  was  burdened  with  its  gratitude. 
She  wished  —  she  needed  to  pour  out  all  that  she  felt; 
but  M.  Kollsen  was  there,  and  she  could  not  speak 
quite  freely  before  him.  He,  for  his  part,  observed 
that,  if  she  was  now  so  happy,  she  must  have  given  up 
someof  her  superstitions,  for  certainly  he  had  never  known 
any  one  less  likely  to  enjoy  peace  than  Erica,  on  all 
occasions  on  which  he  had  seen  her,  —  so  great  was 
her  dread  of  evil  spirits  on  every  hand. 

"  I  wish,"  said  Erica  with  a  sigh,  —  "I  do  wish  I 
knew  what  to  think  about  Nipen." 

"  Ay  !  here  it  comes,"  observed  M.  Kollsen,  folding 
his  arms,  as  if  for  an  argument. 

Encouraged  by  the  bishop,  Erica  told  the  whole  story 
of  the  last  few  months,  from  the  night  of  Oddo's  prank 
to  that  which  found  her  at  the  feet  of  her  friend,  for  she 
had  cast  herself  down  at  the  bishop's  feet,  sitting  as 
she  had  done  in  her  childhood,  looking  up  in  his  face. 


I90  FEATS    ()\    THE    FIORD. 

"  You  want  to  know  what  I  think  of  all  this?  "  said 
the  bishop,  when  she  had  done.  "  I  think  that  )'ou 
could  hardly  help  believini^  as  )'ou  have  believed,  amidst 
these  stran^je  circumstances,  and  with  }'our  mind  full 
of  the  common  accounts  of  Nipen.  Yet  I  do  not 
believe  there  is  any  such  spirit  as  Nipen,  or  any  demon 
in  the  forest,  or  on  the  mountain.  Did  you  ever  hear 
what  spirits  ever)'body  in  this  country  believed  in 
before  the  blessed  gospel  was  brought  to  old  Nor- 
wa\-?" 

"  I  have  heard  of  Thor,  that  yonder  islet  was  named 
after ;  and  that,  when  there  was  a  tempest,  with  rolling 
thunder,  such  as  we  never  hear  in  this  region,  the 
people  used  to  say  it  was  Thor  driving  his  chariot  over 
the  mountain  ridge." 

"  That  was  what  people  said  of  the  thunder.  What 
they  said  of  fire  and  frost  was  that  they  were  giants 
called  Lokc  and  Thr)-m,  who  dwelt  in  a  dreadful  tem- 
pestuous place,  at  the  end  of  the  earth,  and  came 
abroad  to  do  awful  things  among  men.  The  giant 
Frost  drove  home  his  horses  at  night,  —  the  hail- 
clouds  that  sped  through  the  air  ;  and  there  sat  the  giant 
on  the  frost  winds,  combing  the  manes  of  his  horses  as 
they  went.  Fire  was  a  cunning  demon  that  stole  in 
where  it  was  not  wanted :  and  when  once  in,  it 
devoured  all  that  it  chose,  till  it  rose  into  the  sky  at 
last  in  smoke.  —  Then  there  was  the  giant  yEgir,  who 
brought  in  squalls  from  the  sea,  and  made  whirlpools 
in  the  fiords." 

"  Why,  that  is  like  Nipen." 

"  Very  like  Nipen ;  —  perhaps  the  same.  Then 
there  was  the  good  god  Balder  (the  white  god),  who 
made  everything  bright  and  beautiful,  and  ripened 
the  fruits  of  the  earth.  This  god  Balder  was  the  sun. 
Then  there  were  the  three  magical  women,  the  Fates, 
who  made  men's  lives  happy  or  miserable.  Did  you 
ever  hear  how  these  giants  and  Fates  were  worshipped 
before  Jehovah  and  Christ  were  known  in  this  land  ?  " 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  191 

"  I  have  heard  Ulla  sing  man}'  old  songs  about  these 
and  more ;  and  how  Thor  and  two  companions  as 
mighty  as  himself  were  travelling,  and  entered  a  curious 
house  for  the  night ;  and  wandered  about  in  the  great 
house,  being  frightened  at  a  strange  loud  noise  outside  : 
and  how  they  found  in  the  morning  that  this  house  was 
the  mitten  of  a  giant,  infinitely  greater  than  themselves  ; 
and  that  what  they  had  taken  for  a  separate  chamber 
in  the  sreat  house  was  the  thumb  of  his  mitten;  and 
that  the  strange  noise  was  the  snoring  of  this  giant 
Skrymir,  who  was  asleep  close  by.  after  having  pulled 
off  his  mittens." 

"That  is  one  of  the  many  tales  belonging  to  the  old 
religion  of  this  country.  And  how  did  this  old  religion 
arise? — Why,  the  people  saw  grand  spectacles  every 
day,  and  heard  wonders  whichever  way  they  turned ; 
and  they  supposed  that  the  whole  universe  was  alive. 
The  sun  as  it  travelled  they  thought  was  alive,  and  kind 
and  good  to  men.  The  tempest  they  thought  was  alive, 
and  angry  with  men.  The  fire  and  frost  the}'  thought 
were  alive,  pleased  to  make  sport  with  men." 

"As  people  who  ought  to  know  better,"  observed  M. 
KoUsen,  "now think  the  wind  is  alive,  and  call  it  Nipen, 
or  the  mist  of  the  lake  and  river,  which  the}'  call  the 
sprite  Uldra." 

"  It  is  true,"  said  the  bishop,  "  that  we  now  have 
better  knowledge,  and  see  that  the  earth,  and  all  that  is 
in  it,  is  made  and  moved  by  One  Good  Spirit,  who, 
instead  of  sporting  with  men,  or  being  angry  with  them, 
rules  all  things  for  their  good.  But  I  am  not  surprised 
that  some  of  the  old  stories  remain,  and  are  believed  in 
still, —  and  by  good  and  dutiful  Christians  too.  The 
mother  sings  the  old  songs  over  the  cradle ;  and  the 
child  hears  tell  of  sprites  and  demons  before  it  hears  of 
the  good  God  who  '  sends  forth  the  snow  and  rain,  the 
hail  and  vapor,  and  the  stormy  winds  fulfilling  His 
word.'  And  when  the  child  is  grown  to  be  a  man  or 
woman,  the  Northern  Lights  shooting  over  the  skv,  and 


192  FKATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

the  sighing  of  the  winds  in  the  pine-forest,  bring  back 
those  old  songs,  and  old  thoughts  about  demons  and 
sprites,  and  the  stoutest  man  trembles.  I  do  not 
wonder ;  nor  do  I  blame  any  man  or  woman  for  this ; 
though  I  wish  they  were  as  happy  as  the  weakest  infant, 
or  the  most  worn-out  old  man,  who  has  learned  from 
the  gentle  Jesus  to  fear  nothing  at  any  time,  because 
his  Father  is  with  him." 

"But  what  is  to  be  done?"  asked  M.  Kollsen. 

"  The  time  will  come,"  said  the  bishop,  "  when  the 
mother  will  sing  to  her  babe  of  the  gentle  Jesus ;  and 
tell  her  growing  child  of  how  he  loved  to  be  alone  with 
his  Father  in  the  waste  and  howling  wilderness ;  and 
bade  his  disciples  not  be  afraid  when  there  was  a  tem- 
pest on  the  wide  lake.  Then,  when  the  child  grows  up 
to  be  a  man,  if  he  finds  himself  alone  on  the  mountain 
or  in  the  forest,  he  will  think  of  Jesus,  and  fear  no 
demon  :  and  if  a  west  wind  and  fog  should  overtake  a 
woman  in  her  boat  on  the  fiord,"  he  continued,  looking 
with  a  smile  at  Erica,  "  she  will  never  think  of  Nipen, 
but  rather  that  she  hears  her  Saviour  saying,  '  Why  are 
ye  afraid,  O  !  ye  of  little  faith  ?  '  " 

Erica  hid  her  face,  ashamed  under  the  good  man's 
smile. 

"  In  our  towns,"  continued  he,  "  much  of  this  blessed 
change  is  already  wrought.  No  one  in  my  city  of 
Tronyem  now  fears  the  angry  and  cunning  fire-giant, 
Loke ;  but  every  citizen  closes  his  eyes  in  peace  when 
he  hears  the  midnight  cry  of  the  watch,  '  Except  the 
Lord  keep  the  city,  the  watchman  waketh  but  in  vain.'  * 
In  the  wilds  of  the  country  every  man's  faith  will  here- 
after be  his  watchman,  crying  out  upon  all  that  happens, 
'  It  is  the  Lord's  hand  :  let  Him  do  what  seemeth  to 
Him  good  !  This  might  have  been  said.  Erica,  as  it 
appears  to  me,  at  every  turn  of  your  story,  where  you 
and  your  friends  were  not  in  fault." 

*  The  watchman's  call  in  the  towns  of  Norway. 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD.  1 93 

He  went  on  to  remark  on  the  story  she  had  told  him  ; 
and  she  was  really  surprised  to  find  that  there  was  not 
the  slightest  reason  to  suppose  that  any  spirit  had  been 
employed  to  vex  and  alarm  her.  The  fog  and  the 
pirates  had  overtaken  and  frightened  many  in  the  fiord 
with  whom  Nipen  had  no  quarrel.  Rolf's  imprison- 
ment, and  all  the  sorrows  that  belonged  to  it,  had  been 
owing  to  his  own  imprudence.  The  appearance  of  a 
double  sun  the  night  before  was  nothing  uncommon, 
and  was  known  to  take  place  when  the  atmosphere  was 
in  a  particular  state.  She  herself  had  seen  that  no 
wood-demon  had  touched  the  axes  in  this  very  grove 
last  night;  and  that  it  was  no  mountain  sprite,  but  a 
Laplander,  who  had  taken  up  the  first  Gammel  cheese. 
She  had  also  witnessed  how  absurdly  mistaken  Hund 
had  been  about  the  boat  having  been  spirited  away, 
and  Vogel  Island  being  enchanted,  and  Rolfs  ghost 
being  allowed  to  haunt  him.  Here  was  a  case  before 
her  very  eyes  of  the  way  in  which  people  with  super- 
stitious minds  may  misunderstand  what  happens  to 
themselves. 

"  Oh  !  "  exclaimed  Erica,  dropping  her  hands  from 
before  her  glowing  face,  "  if  I  dared  but  think  there 
were  no  bad  spirits  —  if  I  dared  only  hope  that  every- 
thing that  happens  is  done  by  God's  own  hand,  I  could 
bear  ever}'thing  !      I  would  never  be  afraid  again  !  " 

"  It  is  what  I  believe,"  said  the  bishop.  Laying  his 
hand  on  her  head,  he  continued,  "  We  know  that  the 
very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  I  see  that 
you  are  weary  of  your  fears  —  that  you  have  long  been 
heavy-laden  with  anxiety.  It  is  you,  then,  that  He 
invites  to  trust  Him  when  He  says  by  the  lips  of  Jesus, 
'  Come,  ye  that  are  weary  and  heavy-laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest.' " 

"Rest — rest  is  what  I  have  wanted,"  said  Erica, 
while  her  tears  flowed  gently;  "but  Peder  and  Ulla 
did  not  believe  as  you  do,  and  could  not  explain  things  ; 
and  —  " 


194  FEATS    OX   THE    FIOKD. 

"You  should  have  asked  mc,"  said  M.  Kollscn  ;  "I 
could  have  explained  everything." 

"  Perhaps  so,  sir;  but  —  but,  M.  Kollscn,  you  always 
seemed  angry ;  and  you  said  you  despised  us  for  be- 
lieving anything  that  you  did  not:  and  it  is  the  most 
difficult  thing  in  the  world  to  ask  questions  which  one 
knows  will  be  despised." 

M.  Kollscn  glanced  in  the  bishop's  face,  to  see  how 
he  took  this,  and  how  he  meant  to  support  the  pastor's 
authority.     The  bishop  looked  sad,  and  said  nothing. 

"  And  then,"  continued  Erica,  "  there  were  others 
who  laughed  —  even  Rolf  himself  laughed  ;  and  what 
one  fears  becomes  only  the  more  terrible  when  it  is 
laughed  at." 

"  Very  true,"  said  the  bishop.  "  When  Jesus  sat  on 
the  well  in  Samaria,  and  taught  how  the  true  worship 
was  come.  He  neither  frowned  on  the  woman  who  in- 
quired, nor  despised  her,  nor  made  light  of  her  super- 
stition about  a  sacred  mountain." 

There  was  a  long  silence,  which  was  broken  at  last 
by  Erica  asking  the  bishop  whether  he  could  not  con- 
sole poor  Hund,  who  wanted  comfort  more  than  she  had 
ever  done.  The  bishop  replied  that  the  demons  who 
most  tormented  poor  Hund  were  not  abroad  on  the 
earth  or  in  the  air,  but  within  his  breast  —  his  remorse, 
his  envy,  his  covetousness,  his  fear.  He  meant,  how- 
ever, not  to  lose  sight  of  poor  Hund,  either  in  the 
prison  to  which  he  was  to  travel  to-morrow,  or  after  he 
should  come  out  of  it. 

Here  Erolich  appeared  running  to  ask  whether  those 
who  were  in  the  grove  would  not  like  to  look  forth  from 
the  ridge,  and  see  what  good  the  budstick  had  done, 
and  how  many  parties  were  on  their  way  from  all  quar- 
ters to  the  farm. 

M.  Kollsen  was  glad  to  rise  and  escape  from  what  he 
thought  a  schooling,  and  the  bishop  himself  was  as  in- 
terested in  what  was  going  on  as  if  the  farm  had  been 
his  home.     He  was  actually  the  first  at  the  ridge. 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 95 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE   WATCH    ON   THE    HILL. 

This  part  of  the  mountain  was  a  singularly  favorable 
situation  for  seeing  what  was  doing  on  the  spot  on 
which  every  one's  attention  was  fixed  this  day.  While 
the  people  on  the  fiord  could  not  see  what  was  going 
forward  at  Saltdalen,  nor  those  at  Saltdalen  what  were 


the  movements  of  the  farm,  the  watchers  on  the  ridge 
could  observe  the  proceedings  at  all  the  three  points. 
The  opportunity  was  much  improved  by  the  bishop 
having  a  glass  —  a  glass  of  a  quality  so  rare  at  that 
time,  that  there  would  probably  have  been  some  talk 
of  magic  and  charms,  if  it  had  been  seen  in  Olaf's 
hands,  instead  of  the  bishop's. 

By  means  of  this  glass,  the  bishop,  IVI.  Kollsen,  or  Ma- 
dame Erlingsen  announced,  from  time  to  time,  what  was 
doing,  as  the  evening  advanced  ;  — how  parties  of  two  or 
three  were  leaving  Saltdalen,  creeping  towards  the  farm 
undercover  of  rising  grounds,  rocks,  and  pine-woods; 
—  how  small  companies,  well  armed,  were  hidden  in 
every  place  of  concealment  near  Erlingsen's ; — and 
how   there   seemed   to  be   a  great    number  of  women 


196  FEATS    OX    THE    FIORD. 

about  the  place.  This  was  puzzhng.  Who  these 
women  could  be,  and  why  they  should  choose  to  resort 
to  the  farm  when  its  female  inhabitants  had  left  it  for 
safet}',  it  was  difficult  at  first  to  imagine.  But  the  truth 
soon  occurred  to  F'rolich.  No  doubt  some  one  had 
remembered  how  strange  and  suspicious  it  would  ap- 
pear to  the  pirates,  who  supposed  the  bishop  to  be  at 
the  farm,  that  there  should  be  no  women  in  the  com- 
pany assembled  to  meet  him.  No  doubt,  these  people 
in  blue,  white,  and  green  petticoats,  who  were  striding 
about  the  yards,  and  looking  forth  from  the  galleries, 
were  men  dressed  in  their  wiv^es'  clothes,  or  in  such  as 
Erlingsen  furnished  from  the  family  chests.  This  dis- 
guise was  as  good  as  an  ambush,  while  it  also  served 
to  gi\'e  the  place  the  festive  appearance  looked  for  by 
the  enemy.  It  was  found  afterwards  that  Oddo  had 
acted  as  lady's  maid,  fitting  the  gowns  to  the  shortest 
men.  and  dressing  up  there  heads,  so  as  best  to  hide 
the  shaggy  hair.  Great  numbers  were  certainly  assem- 
bled before  night;  yet  still  a  group  might  be  seen  now 
and  then,  winding  down  from  some  recess  of  the  wide- 
spreading  mountain,  making  circuits  by  the  ravines  and 
water-courses,  so  as  to  avoid  crossing  the  upland  slopes, 
which  the  pirates  might  be  surveying  by  means  of  such 
a  glass  as  the  bishop's. 

The  bishop  was  of  opinion  that  scarcely  a  blow 
would  be  struck,  —  so  great  was  the  country  force, 
compared  with  that  of  the  pirates.  He  believed  that 
the  enemy  would  be  overpowered  and  disarmed,  almost 
without  a  struggle.  Erica,  who  could  not  but  tremble, 
with  fear  as  well  as  expectation,  blessed  his  words  in 
her  heart:    and  so,  in  truth,  did  every  woman  present. 

No  one  thought  of  going  to  rest,  though  Madame 
Erlingsen  urged  it  upon  those  over  whom  she  had  in- 
fluence. Einding  that  Erica  had  sat  up  to  watch  the 
cattle  the  night  before,  she  compelled  her  to  go  and  lie 
down ;  but  no  compulsion  could  make  her  sleep ;  and 
Orga  and  Frolich  did  the   best  they  could   for  her,  by 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD.  1 9/ 

running  to  her  with  news  of  any  fresh  appearance  be- 
low. Just  after  midnight,  they  brought  her  word  that 
the  bishop  had  ordered  every  one  but  M.  Kollsen  away 
from  the  ridge.  The  schooner  had  peeped  out  from 
behind  the  promontory,  and  was  steahng  up  with  a  soft 
west  wind. 

"  A  west  wind  !  "  exclaimed  Erica.     "  Any  fog?  " 

"  No,  not  a  flake  of  mist.  Neither  you  nor  any  one 
will  say  that  Nipen  is  favorable  to  the  enemy  to-night. 
Erica." 

"  You  will  hear  me  say  less  of  Nipen,  henceforward," 
said  Erica. 

"That  is  wise  for  to-night,  at  least.  Here  is  the 
west  wind ;  but  only  to  waft  the  enemy  into  our  hands. 
But  have  you  really  left  off  believing  in  Nipen.  and  the 
whole  race  of  sprites?" 

These  words  jarred  on  Erica's  }'et  timid  feelings. 
She  replied  that  she  must  take  time  for  thought,  as  she 
had  much  to  think  about :  but  the  bishop  had  to-day 
spoken  words  which  she  believed  would,  when  well  con- 
sidered, lift  a  heavy  load  from  her  heart. 

The  girls  kindly  left  this  impression  undisturbed,  and 
went  on  to  describe  how  the  schooner  was  working  up, 
and  why  the  bishop  thought  that  the  people  at  the  farm 
were  aware  of  every  inch  of  her  progress. 

Erica  sprang  from  the  bed,  and  joined  the  group 
who  were  sitting  on  the  grass,  awaiting  the  sunrise,  and 
eagerly  listening  for  every  word  from  their  watchman, 
the  bishop.  He  told  when  he  saw  two  boats  full  of 
men  put  off  from  the  schooner  and  creep  towards 
Erlingsen's  cove  under  the  shadow  of  the  rocks.  He 
told  how  the  country-people  immediately  gathered  be- 
hind the  barn,  and  the  house,  and  every  outbuilding; 
and,  at  length,  when  the  boats  touched  the  shore,  he 
said, — 

"  Now  come  and  look  yourselves.  They  are  too  busy 
now  to  be  observing  us." 

Then  how  eyes  were  strained,  and  what  silence  there 


198  FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 

was,  broken  only  by  an  occasional  exclamation,  as  it 
became  certain  that  the  decisive  moment  was  come  ! 
The  glass  passed  rapidly  from  hand  to  hand ;  but  it 
revealed  little.  There  was  smoke,  covering  a  struggling 
crowd  :  and  such  gazers  as  had  a  husband,  a  father,  or 
a  lover  there,  could  look  no  longer.  The  bishop  him- 
self did  not  attempt  to  comfort  them,  at  a  moment 
when  he  knew  it  would  be  in  vain.  In  the  midst  of  all 
this,  some  one  observed  two  boats  appearing  from  be- 
hind the  promontory,  and  making  directly  and  rapidly 
for  the  schooner ;  and  presently  there  was  a  little  smoke 
there  too  ;  —  only  a  puff  or  two  ;  and  then  all  was  quiet 
till  she  began  to  hang  out  her  sails,  which  had  been 
taken  in,  and  to  glide  over  the  waters  in  the  direction 
of  a  small  sandy  beach,  on  which  she  ran  straight  up, 
till  she  was  evidently  fast  grounded. 

"  I^xcellcnt !  "  exclaimed  M.  Kollsen.  "How  admir- 
ably they  are  conducting  the  whole  affair  !  The  retreat 
of  these  fellows  is  completely  cut  off,  —  their  vessel 
taken,  and  driven  ashore,  while  they  arc  busy  else- 
where." 

"  That  is  Oddo's  doing,"  observed  Orga,  quietly. 

"  Oddo's  doing!  How  do  you  know?  Are  you 
serious?     Can  you  see?     Or  did  you  hear?  " 

"  I  was  by  when  Oddo  told  his  plan  to  my  father, 
and  begged  to  be  allow'ed  to  take  the  schooner.  My 
father  laughed  so  that  I  thought  Oddo  would  be  for 
going  over  to  the  enemy." 

"  No  fear  of  that,"  said  Erica.  "  Oddo  has  a  brave, 
faithful  heart." 

"  And,"  said  his  mistress,  "  a  conscience  and  temper 
which  will  keep  him  meek  and  patient  till  he  has  atoned 
for  mischief  that  he  thinks  he  has  done." 

"  I  must  see  more  of  this  boy,"  observed  the  bishop. 
"  Did  your  father  grant  his  request?"  he  inquired  of 
Orga. 

"  At  last  he  did.  Oddo  said  that  a  young  boy  could 
do  little   good   in   the   fight   at    the  farm ;    but  that   he 


FEATS    ON   THE   FIORD.  1 99 

might  lead  a  party  to  attack  the  schooner,  in  the  absence 
of  almost  all  her  crew.  He  said  it  was  no  more  than  a 
boy  might  do,  with  half  a  dozen  lads  to  help  him;  for 
he  had  reason  to  feel  sure  that  only  just  hands  enough 
to  manage  her  would  be  left  on  board  ;  and  those  the 
weakest  of  the  pirate-party.  My  father  said  there  were 
men  to  spare ;  and  he  put  twelve,  well  armed,  under 
Oddo's  orders." 

"Who  would  submit  to  be  under  Oddo's  command?  " 
asked  Frolich,  laughing  at  the  idea. 

"  Twice  twelve,  if  he  had  wanted  so  many,"  replied 
Orga.  "  Between  the  goodness  of  the  joke  and  their 
zeal,  there  were  volunteers  in  plenty,  —  my  father  told 
me,  as  he  was  putting  me  on  my  horse." 

In  a  very  few  minutes,  all  signs  of  fighting  were  over 
at  the  farm.  But  there  was  a  fire.  The  barn  was  seen 
to  smoke,  and  then  to  flame.  It  was  plain  that  the 
neighbors  were  at  liberty  to  attend  to  the  fire,  and  had 
no  fighting  on  their  hands.  They  were  seen  to  form  a 
line  from  the  burning  barn  to  the  brink  of  the  water, 
and  to  hand  buckets  till  the  fire  was  out-.  The  barn 
had  been  nearly  empty ;  and  the  fire  did  not  spread 
farther ;  so  that  Madame  Erlingsen  herself  did  not 
spend  one  grudging  thought  on  this  small  sacrifice,  in 
return  from  their  deliverance  from  the  enemy,  who,  she 
had  feared,  would  ransack  her  dwelling,  and  fire  it  over 
her  children's  heads.  She  was  satisfied  and  thankful, 
if  indeed  the  pirates  were  taken. 

At  the  bishop's  question  about  who  would  go  down 
the  mountain  for  news,  each  of  Hund's  guards  begged 
to  be  the  man.  The  swiftest  of  foot  was  chosen ;  and 
off  he  went,  —  not  without  a  barley-cake  and  brandy 
flask, — at  a  pace  which  promised  speedy  tidings. 

As  Madame  Erlingsen  hoped  in  her  heart,  he  met  a 
messenger  despatched  by  her  husband  ;  so  that  all  who 
had  lain  down  to  sleep  —  all  but  herself,  that  is  — 
were  greeted  by  good  news  as  they  appeared  at  the 
breakfast-table.      The  pirates  were  all   taken,   and    on 


200  FEATS    ON   THE    ElURD. 

their  way,  bound  to  Saltdalcn,  there  to  be  examined  by 
the  magistrate,  and,  no  doubt,  thence  transferred  to  the 
jail  at  Tronyem.  Hund  was  to  follow  immediately, 
either  to  take  his  trial  with  them,  or  to  appear  as  evi- 
dence against  them. 

One  of  the  pirates  was  wounded,  and  two  of  the 
country  people;  but  not  a  life  was  lost;  and  Erlingsen, 
Rolf,   Peder,  and  Oddo  were  all  safe  and  unhurt. 

Oddo  was  superintending  the  unlading  of  the 
schooner,  and  was  appointed  by  the  magistrate,  at  his 
master's  desire,  head-guard  of  the  property,  as  it  lay  on 
the  beach,  till  the  necessary  evidence  of  its  having 
been  stolen  by  the  pirates  was  taken  ;  and  the  owners 
could  be  permitted  to  identify  and  resume  their  prop- 
erty. Oddo  was  certain!)-  the  greatest  man  concerned 
in  the  affair,  after  Erlingsen.  And  like  a  realh'  great 
man,  Oddo's  head  was  not  turned  with  his  importance, 
but  intent  on  the  perfect  discharge  of  his  office.  When 
it  was  finished,  and  he  returned  to  his  home,  he  found 
he  cared  more  for  the  pressure  of  his  grandfather's 
hand  upon  his  head,  as  the  old  man  blessed  his  boy, 
than  for  all  the  praises  of  the  whole  country  round. 


FEATS    ON   THE    FIORD. 


201 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 


TO    CHURCH. 


An  idea  occurred  to  everybody  but  one,  within  the 
next  few  hours,  which  occasioned  some  consultation. 
Everybody  but  Erica  felt  and  said  that  it  would  be  a 
great  honor  and  privilege,  but  one  not  undeserved  by 
the  district,  for  the  Bishop  of  Tronyem  to  marry  Rolf 
and  Erica  before  he  left  Nordland.  The  bishop  wished 
to  make  some  acknowledgment  for  the  zealous  protec- 


tion and  hospitality  which  had  been  afforded  him  ;  and 
he  soon  found  that  no  act  would  be  so  generally  accept- 
able as  his  blessing  the  union  of  these  young  people. 
He  spoke  to  Madame  Erlingsen  about  it :  and  her  only 
doubt  was  whether  it  was  not  too  soon  after  the  burial 
of  old  Ulla.  If  Peder,  however  should  not  object  on 
this  ground,  no  one  else  had  a  right  to  do  so. 

So  far  from  objecting,  Peder  shed  tears  of  pleasure  at 
the  thought.  He  was  sure  Ulla  would  be  delighted,  if 
she  knew; — would  feel  it  an  honor  to  herself  that  her 


202  FKATS    OX    '11  IK    FIORD. 

place  should  be  filled  b\-  one  whose  marriage-crown 
should  be  blessed  by  the  bishop  himself.  Erica  was 
startled,  and  had  several  good  reasons  to  give  why 
there  should  be  no  hurry:  but  she  was  brought  round 
to  see  that  Rolf  could  go  to  Tronyem.,  to  give  his  evi- 
dence against  the  pirates,  even  better  after  his  marriage 
than  before,  because  he  would  leave  Peder  in  a  condi- 
tion of  greater  comfort:  and  she  even  smiled  to  her- 
self as  she  thought  how  rapidly  she  might  improve  the 
appearance  of  the  house  during  his  absence,  so  that  he 
should  delight  in  it  on  his  return.  When  the  bishop 
assured  her  that  she  should  not  be  hurried  into  her 
marriage  within  two  days,  but  that  he  would  appoint  a 
day  and  hour  when  he  should  be  at  the  distant  church, 
to  confirm  the  young  people  resident  lower  down  the 
fiord,  she  gratefully  consented,  wondering  at  the  inter- 
est so  high  and  reverend  a  man  seemed  to  feel  in  her 
lot.  W'hen  it  was  once  settled  that  the  wedding  was  to 
be  next  week,  she  gave  hearty  aid  to  the  preparations, 
as  freely  and  openly  as  if  she  was  not  herself  to  be  the 
bride. 

The  bishop  embarked  immediately  on  descending 
the  mountain.  His  considerate  eye  saw,  at  a  glance, 
that  there  was  necessaril}'  much  confusion  at  the  farm, 
and  that  his  further  presence  would  be  an  inconven- 
ience. So  he  bade  his  host  and  the  neighbors  farewell, 
for  a  short  time,  desiring  them  not  to  fail  to  meet 
him  again  at  the  church,  on  his  summons. 

The  kindness  of  the  neighbors  did  not  cease  when 
danger  from  the  enemy  was  over.  Some  offered  boats 
for  the  wedding  procession ;  several  sent  gilt  paper  to 
adorn  the  bridal  crown  which  Orga  and  Frolich  were 
making:  and  some  yielded  a  more  important  assistance 
still.  They  put  trusty  persons  into  the  seater,  and 
over  the  herd,  for  two  days;  so  that  all  Erlingsen's 
household  might  be  at  the  wedding.  Stiorna  preferred 
making  butter,  and  gazing  southwards,  to  attending  the 
wedding  of  Hund's  rival ;   but  every  one  else  was  glad 


FEATS    OX   THE    FIORD. 


20' 


to  go.  Nobody  would  have  thought  of  urging  Peder's 
presence  ;  but  he  chose  to  do  his  part, —  (a  part  which 
no  one  could  discharge  so  well),  —  singing  bridal  songs 
in  the  leading  boat. 

The  summons  arrived  quite  as  soon  as  it  could  have 
been  looked  for;  and  the  next  day  there  was  as  pretty 
a  boat  procession  on  the  still  waters  of  the  fiord  as  had 


'""I '''(:' fi/A 


ever  before  glided  over  its  surface.  Within  the  mem- 
ory of  man,  no  bride  had  been  prettier,  —  no  crown 
more  glittering, — no  bridegroom  more  happy;  no 
chanting  was  ever  more  soothing  than  old  Peder's  — 
no  clarionet  better  played  than  Oddo's,  —  no  bride- 
maids  more  gay  and  kindly  than  Orga  and  Frolich. 
The  neighbors  were  hearty  in  their  cheers  as  the  boats 
put  off;  and  the  cheers  were  repeated  from  every  settle- 
ment in  the  coves  and  on  the  heights  of  the  fiord,  and 
were  again  taken  up  by  the  echoes,  till  the  summer  air 
seemed  to  be  full  of  gladness.  The  birds  of  the  islands, 
and  the  leaping  fish,  might  perhaps  wonder  as  the  train 


204 


FEATS    0\    TIIK    KK  )R1). 


of  bowery  boats  floated  down,  —  for  every  boat  was 
dressed  with  green  boughs  and  garlands  of  flowers;  — 
but  the  matter  was  understood  and  rejoiced  in  by  all 
others. 

To  conclude,  the  bishop  was  punctual,  and  kindly  in 
his  welcome  of  Erica  to  the  altar.  He  was  also 
graciously  pleased  with  Rolf's  explanation  that  he  had 
not  ventured  to  bring  a  gift  for  so  great  a  dignitary; 
but  that  he  hoped  the  bishop  would  approve  of  his 
giving  his  humble  offering  to  the  church  instead.  The 
six  sides  of  the  new  pulpit  were  nearly  finished  now; 
and  Rolf  desired  to  take  upon  himself  the  carving  of 
the  basement  as  his  marriage  fee.  As  the  bishop 
smiled  approbation,  M.  Kollsen  bowed  acquiescence ; 
and  Rolf  found  himself  in  prospect  of  indoor  work  for 
some  time  to  come. 

Erica  carried  home  in  her  heart,  and  kept  there  for 
ever,  certain  words  of  the  bishop's  address,  which  he 
uttered  with  his  eye  kindly  fixed  upon  hers.  "  Go,  and 
abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty.  So  shall  you 
not  be  afraid  for  the  terror  by  night,  nor  for  the  arrow 
that  flieth  by  day;  nor  for  the  pestilence  that  walketh 
in  darkness ;  nor  for  the  destruction  that  wasteth  at 
noon-day.  When  you  shall  have  made  the  Lord  your 
habitation,  you  shall  not  fear  that  evil  may  befall  you, 
or  that  any  plague  shall  come  nigh  your  dwelling. 

"  Go  :    and  peace  be  on  your  house  !  " 

U 


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